PAIGE SPIRANAC

I'm not ashamed of my social media following, my Sports Illustrated swimsuit shoot, or the tough time I had in my LPGA debut, but these small facets of my life are easily manipulated by the Internet to get views, and they don't define me as a person.

I respect and understand that golf is enveloped in tradition and that certain rules and regulations must be upheld.

My weakness is hitting it straight under pressure.

It's easy to get swayed by advertisements or the latest new gear, but what you think you want could actually rob you of yards and add strokes to your score, based on your personal swing and playing style.

If someone is misrepresenting my playing career, I try to correct them. If they say something mean about me I'll let them know it hurts my feelings. But I've noticed that the best thing for me is to show love back to them and show positivity and by doing that you gain a fan.

The gymnastics community is toxic. You just do what they say no matter what. It's really scary.

My strength is short game. I love the creative side to it. You can hit a wedge a million different ways. The flop is my fave.

I want people to see that golf is fun and it's cool. You don't have to be a professional golfer to enjoy it.

Growing up, I had a hair condition where my hair would fall out easily, and I had bad asthma.

People seem to think I got where I am because of the clothes that I wear. That's unfair to me and unfair to all of my accomplishments.

Everyone knew I was home-schooled. Everyone always said I was weird, and they're kind of right. And I think people can always tell that I'm a weak link. So if you are going to bully someone, I'm an easy target.

I've done golf and fitness shoots, but in those I'm still fairly covered up.

People seem to think I got where I am because of the clothes that I wear.

I'm introverted, and all my friends make fun of me because all I do is work out and play golf. I'm a grandma: stay in most nights and asleep by 9:30.

I was a tomboy. I played football and wasn't afraid to get dirty. Shopping? Not for me.

For me, working with kids is one of my favorite ways to give back, and I refuse to let public opinion about whether I'm a 'winner' stop me from being a positive role model and mentor.

Because of the increased physicality of the sport, golf apparel companies began incorporating more performance-based materials into their designs, as well as updating styles that had fallen out of fashion over the years.

All I ever wanted was to be a golfer on the LPGA tour. That's still my dream, but getting there has turned out to be a lot more complicated than I thought.

You know what, I was one of the top 25 amateurs in the world. I had a pretty good college career.

I always feel like an outcast... it's just always been very different to everyone else.

If you've never been fit for clubs, your game could seriously be suffering. People tend to stick to out-of-date, poorly fit clubs because they either don't see the benefit of a fitting or are intimidated by the process.

I started playing golf after a broken knee led me to quit my career as an elite gymnast. It wasn't long before I became one of the world's top-ranked amateur players.

If you look at what people typically wear when they play, OK, my clothes could be considered provocative. But I'm not wearing them for a reaction. I'm just comfortable in fitness clothing. Golf is a sport, so dress like an athlete. Name another sport where people wear khakis and cotton polos?

I embrace who I am, and I embrace the fact that I feel empowered feeling sexy.

I realized that I could save the world and I would still get hate. I'm never going to try and please other people. All I can do is live my truth and be a good person, and I will feel right and fulfilled. That's what matters.