Gulbis accepts Kournikova comparisons
NATALIE Gulbie has her own calendar amd a reality television show, and she writes a column in a men’s magazine. Now she is heading to Sydney.
The former American collegiate golf champion won’t walk away from the label of sex symbol.
Gulbis’ website has a photo gallery with a special section reserved for ‘Cover Girl’ shots, in addition to the family scrapbook, tournament play, and pictures of friends and places on tour.
The knowing looks and swimwear poses for her 2007 calendar means the 23 year old from Sacramento, California, is very comfortable with who she is and how people perceive her.
Not that her good looks and business acumen have not got her into trouble before.
Her first calendar for 2005, released just before the 2004 US Open, was banned by the United States Golf Association from being sold at the tournament. Apparently it was a huge hit in Canada the same month.
The USGA was criticised for being prudish and Gulbis reacted by posing for men’s magazine FHM. She writes a golf column for the same publication.
And in November last year she premiered The Natalie Gulbis Show on US cable television’s The Golf Channel. But do not dismiss the blue-green eyed golfer as eye candy.
She finished 16th on the LPGA money list and 19th on the inaugural world rankings. She has been on the Tour full-time for just five years.
In 2005, she passed $US1million in career earnings and this year tied for third behind Karrie Webb at the Kraft Nabisco Championships and lost a play-off to Korea’s Mi Hyun Kim at the Corning Classic in Ohio in July.
She turned pro in 2001 after making the cut at the US Open and finishing 34th as an 18-year-old amateur. She won the Californian Women’s Amateur Championship at 14 - the same year she became the youngest golfer to qualify for an LPGA Tour event - the Longs Drugs Challenge.
Michelle Wie, at age 12, broke that mark in 2003.
Gulbis will play the Women’s Australian Open at Royal Sydney in February. It will be her second trip to Australia after tying for 20th at the 2003 ANZ Ladies Masters at Royal Pines on the Gold Coast in just her second year on Tour.
“I love going to Australia … nice warm weather and it’s going to be a great tune-up for me for the PGA season,” Gulbis said in Singapore last weekend, where she rounded off her year by playing under International captain Annika Sorenstam at the Lexus Cup women’s match-play event against Team Asia.
“The humidity here reminds me of what’s ahead in the summer down there so bring it on,” she said.
And with an array of shot-making talent at her disposal, she will be a drawcard for more than one reason.
“The strength for me is usually iron play and then power putting,” Gulbis said, adding she took a new set of irons to Singapore and some adjustments in her swing to give them a try-out before she kicked off her 2007 season in Australia.
“It’s nice to see things are working out so far. I had a solid year this year, but I thought my 2005 was better, ” she said. “I’m just trying to get better all the time. I’ve been working hard in the off-season and I’ll work hard again in the new year.”
Gulbis is still searching for that elusive maiden tour win. She has had 20 top-10 finishes in the past two years but the concern is she may be branded another ‘Anna Kournikova’ if she doesn’t break through soon.
“Absolutely there’s pressure, but no more pressure than I put on myself to get it,” Gulbis said.
And the comparisons with Kournikova? “As I said, there’s no more pressure than what I put on myself. I look at it as something to shoot for.”
