Paige Spiranac would like to improve upon last year’s performance when she tees it up again at this week’s Omega Dubai Ladies Classic. In the meantime, the LPGA hopeful/social media star should be content if the highlight of her latest trip to the Middle East is the press conference she gave on Monday.

Spiranac was asked about the verbal abuse she received after shooting 77-79 and missing the cut at the Ladies European Tour event in 2015. Here was her emotional response, which included a message to fellow victims of cyber bullying:

Following last year’s tournament, Spiranac avoided social media for three weeks and even thought about quitting golf during a time she describes as “the hardest experience of my life.” But she’s hoping that talking about it can help others.

“If I can share my story, and I’m okay with being emotional about it and I’m okay with kind of expressing what happened to me,” she said, “because people don’t realise how hard it was on me . . . people saying the world is better off without me.

“Cyber bullying is a huge problem and no one ever discusses it. It’s no longer funny. It’s not the cool thing to do to make fun of other people, and you need to be supportive and I think that’s really important.”

And it’s given Spiranac a much different perspective heading into this year’s tournament, which starts on Wednesday.

“It doesn’t matter how I play this week, it really doesn’t,” Spiranac said at one point. “But the fact that I’m here and I’m sharing my story, hopefully can save someone’s life, I think that’s so much more important than if I make the cut or miss the cut.”

Well said, Paige.