Paige Spiranac is proud of the path she’s paved.

When taking part in an Instagram Q&A on Tuesday, the longtime golf influencer, 31, explained she holds her golf career and Sports Illustrated Swimsuit “legends” cover in high regard after enduring previous pushback to get to this point.

“With Sports Illustrated and the cover, that one means so much to me because I was considered a ‘legend,’ and throughout my career, I’ve always been told ‘no, you can’t do this, don’t do this, you’re doing it the wrong way,’ all of these things and so, it was validation that throughout all of those hard times, it was worth it because when I look around at my ‘legend’ class, I can’t believe the women I’m surrounded with and it’s just really cool to be recognized in that way,” Spiranac said when asked what she’s more proud of between the two.

The social media juggernaut was featured on one of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit’s 60th-anniversary “legends” covers this year, along with fellow brand icons such as Camille Kostek, Winnie Harlow and Kate Love.