The rise of Texas Tech cheerleader and dancer Aaliyah Kikumoto, known as "Masters Girl," has continued as thousands more are joining her social media pages.
She rose to prominence during the final round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club while she was standing behind runner-up Brooks Koepka, who was partnered with eventual champion Jon Rahm.
Kikumoto was picked out by the TV cameras and her smile won over scores of people. A clip of the moment has been watched more than 4 million times on TikTok.
She was mentioned by Double Bogeys Only on Twitter along with a caption: "Somehow I feel in love with someone I only saw for 15 seconds."
From then her life changed as she became the breakout star of the Masters, though Kikumoto didn't realize until later in the day that she had made such an impact.
Speaking to Newsweek, the cheerleader said: "My friends called me and said you're on a TikTok video. Look at what I just sent you! Then I saw two videos. I commented on one and said 'that's me!' Then my phone was literally blowing up."
Since then, Kikumoto has looked to capitalize on her new found fame with a number of modeling posts as she promotes brands and shoots that took place before the Masters.
Her Instagram following has grown from just over 4,000 to over 42,000 since her blink-and-you-miss-it appearance on TV and has headed towards influencer status.
She has now made a change to her Instagram profile bio as she looks to lock down her "Masters Girl" persona and make that moniker her own.
A week after she hit the headlines, Kikumoto has changed her contact email to an address that reads "therealmastersgirl," as her page fills with brand partnerships that will benefit from her skyrocketing following.
There has been plenty of positivity surrounding Kikumoto, with the dancer admitting that she "ignores the haters."
She posted photos from her recent partnership with BSX Media, and Jay Stanley, who runs the media company, wrote about Kikumoto on the post: "More photos from our photoshoot (the shoot WAS prior to the masters btw). I really feel this set really shows the adorable nature of her bubbly and sweet personality! She is a total gem and I am honored to know her!!! #mastersgirls"
Do you have a tip on a sports story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about golf? Let us know via entertainment@newsweek.com.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
