TikTok golf influencer Katie Sigmond has responded after being fined for hitting a golf ball into the Grand Canyon.

Sigmond, who boasts more than seven million TikTok followers and three million Instagram followers, shared a clip of the incident on her TikTok back in October, which prompted significant backlash.

The influencer soon deleted the video, but not before the National Park Service shared the clip on its Reddit page and members of the public identified Sigmond as the culprit.

A statement was then posted on the Grand Canyon National Park's Facebook page, which read: "Do we really need to say, 'don't hit golf balls into the Grand Canyon?”

Who is Katie Sigmond?

Sigmond is a talented golfer, who regularly posts videos of herself playing on her social media platforms.

She also posts fitness, health and modelling content on Instagram.

As of December 2022, Sigmond has gained more than 319 million likes on TikTok.

"I make videos of me golfing in pretty scenery," the TikTokker explained in one of her videos.

How much has Sigmond been fined?

The 20-year-old has been charged with littering, tossing items into the Grand Canyon and creating hazardous conditions.

While the case was settled out of court, a spokesperson for the Grand Canyon National Park, Joelle Baird, revealed the fine could be up to $280 (£225.63).

The National Park Service website specifies the dangers of throwing objects in the Grand Canyon and stresses: "Never throw rocks, coins, trash, or anything else over the edge. Objects tossed over the edge or dislodged by walking off trail can injure hikers and wildlife below, or start landslides".

Has Sigmond apologised?

Sigmond revealed that she'd hoped to handle the matter privately but posted a video on TikTok to apologise for the incident and elaborated on what happened.

"I visited the Grand Canyon with my family and a couple of friends," she explained

"I decided to hit a golf ball into it, not knowing how disrespectful it was to the environment.

"I lose golf balls all the time and I honestly wasn't thinking, I wasn't educated and I was dumb.

"I made the wrong decision to do that and I 100 percent take blame for it."

VIDEO: Katie Sigmond responds after hitting golf ball in Grand Canyon

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