Spiranac hits back at cyber bullies

US golfer Paige Spiranac has hit out at social media attacks on her and her family at an emotional press conference before the Dubai Ladies Masters tournament.

The 23-year-old, who is popular on social media, was asked a question about the months of backlash she received from online trolls after her disappointing debut performance at last year’s Dubai tournament when she missed the cut.

Her heartfelt response to confront the cyber bulling will no doubt get her more fans.

‘‘They attack not only me but my parents, my family, my friends, and you know, they say I’m a disgrace to golf. It’s really hard and I still get those comments and I still deal with it every day,’’ Spiranac said.

‘‘I feel like I was raised right by my parents, and for them to attack my parents and attack what I’m doing, it’s really difficult.’’

‘‘I struggled with a lot of depression after it, because as a 22-year-old [in 2015], you feel like you’re not worth anything, you feel worthless and no matter what you do it’s never going to be good enough,’’ she said.

‘‘To have these people say that I’m not a good golfer, I’m not a good person, I’m promiscuous, or make these judgments about me that aren’t true, it’s really hard,’’ she said.

‘‘It sounds so foolish, but you never know what that person is going through in their life.’’

Spiranac took a three-week break from social media following the tournament as she considered her future in the sport.

Spiranac was an avid user of social media, frequently posting photos and videos, and sponsored clips.