Paige Spiranac appears to be coming to the defense of Sydney Sweeney.
Sweeney went viral earlier this month, for a provocative advertising photoshoot, in which she posed in very little clothing in promotion for a prediction market company Novig.
Many have called out Sweeney for the ad, including several female athletes.
Olympic gold medalist Ariarne Titmus was among those who ripped Sweeney and Novig for this collaboration.
“I can’t describe how infuriated I feel when I watch this,” Titmus wrote on Instagram. “How do we live in a world where monetizing a woman’s body and sexualizing women’s sport is still a thing?”
Daniel Hong was among those who criticized her, too.
“Seeing this whole Sydney Sweeney controversy just confirms what I already knew I have to teach my daughters, sooner than later,” Hong said, via Us Weekly. “My girls are going to grow up in a world where they’re going to learn really quick that attention has value, especially for girls. Appearance can get you attention: likes, comments, followers, money, opportunities. All of that is very real. What I want them to understand is that attention and value are not the same thing.”
Paige Spiranac.Paige Spiranac/IG
Matthew Stafford’s wife, Kelly, agreed.
“THIS THIS THIS THIS.”
Spiranac, though, has made it pretty clear where she stands. She followed up Sweeney’s provocative post with an Instagram photoshoot of her own.
It’s clear where Spiranac stands on Sweeney
Days after the Sweeney controversy, Spiranac took to social media with a post of her own, making it clear where she stands.
“Summer fun☀️👙⛳️,” she wrote, sharing several photos similar to the ones that got Sweeney in hot water with female sports fans.
Spiranac has consistently defended women’s right to wear whatever they want.
“I was a gymnast before I switched into golf,” Spiranac told Sports Illustrated. “I was so comfortable wearing spandex and very little of it because that’s just what you wear when you’re wearing a leotard and you’re competing. When I switched into golf, we were struggling a little bit financially and so I didn’t have the luxury to go out and buy a whole new golf-appropriate wardrobe. So, I wore what was in my closet, which was workout clothes. That’s just how I learned to play the game.
She added, “That was always my mindset when I got into golf, and it really rubs people the wrong way which is shocking. They’ll have really intense discussions over if they should wear shorts or pants or a blade collar or a real collar and I’m just out here just in tank tops or spandex and people are like ‘What are you doing?’ But I love it.”
This story was originally published by The Spun on Sep 20, 2026, where it first appeared in the Golf section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.