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Golf in the Lower Hudson Valley, from high schools to the pros

No. 31 in your program, No. 1 in your hearts…

May
23

As a nod to our corporate brethren at USA Today, check out this story by Steve DiMeglio on a day in the life of Natalie Gulbis.

topper-gulbis.jpgRichard Deutsch, USA Today

DiMeglio shadowed Gulbis for a day last week at the Sybase Classic, and the result is a worthwhile window into the life of one of the LPGA’s most popular players—whether she is deserving of that title or not.

The book on Gulbis is that she is a vastly talented player and a surprisingly insightful quote. And yet seeing how she’s still in search of her first win, there’s no question that most of the attention she receives is directly related to her looks. Trust me, if I didn’t cover golf for a living and didn’t have to maintain at least the facade of professionalism, I might be one of those fans ogling at Gulbis from behind the ropes (although my wife might have something to say about that). And yet as someone who is supposed to look at the game from a larger perspective, you can’t help but wonder if Gulbis’ prominence doesn’t undermine what the tour really wants to be about.

Put it another way: last week at Sybase, you had the game’s No. 1 player, Lorena Ochoa. You had the winner of the season’s first major, Morgan Pressel, and you had Meaghan Francella, a rising star in her own right who was raised down the road in Port Chester. And yet who had the largest gallery the first two days? You guessed it: the world’s 31st ranked player, Natalie Gulbis (in fairness, Gulbis was also playing with Juli Inkster and Se Ri Pak, but an informal poll of fans revealed most were there for Gulbis).

This isn’t anyone fault, necessarily. You can’t blame Gulbis for looking like she does, and I don’t think you can even blame fans for plunking down their money and following whomever they choose.

But until she wins a tournament, for some reason it strikes me as slightly creepy.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 23rd, 2007 at 10:03 am by Sam Weinman.
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2 Responses to “No. 31 in your program, No. 1 in your hearts…”

  1. Jonathan Probber

    It is creepy. She’s a generic blond of the sort manufactured in a large facility near Orlando.

    Ochoa, meanwhile, is a superior golfer who seems to worry more about her game than her next calendar shoot. I find her much more intriguing than Gulbis.

  2. oc1001

    Sam,

    Interesting tidbit: While I volunteered for scoring during the Friday and Sunday rounds, it was my dad that made the story.

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About this blog
Writers Sam Weinman and Alex Myers share their thoughts on the local and national golf scene.
About the authors
Sam WeinmanSam Weinman
The lead golf writer for The Journal News and LoHud.com, Weinman, 31, has placed among the top three in the Golf Writers Association of America writing contest in three consecutive years, including a first-place finish in 2004. READ MORE

Alex MyersAlex Myers
A sports reporter at The Journal News for nearly three years, Alex Myers has covered a bit of everything, but a lot of golf, ranging from the high school level to last year's U.S. Open at Winged Foot. His golf writing goes back to his college days when he attended Wake Forest University. Myers is also an avid player who is constantly trying to improve on his current handicap of 8. Perhaps his biggest thrill came earlier this summer when he conquered the famed 17th hole at the TPC at Sawgrass by hitting a 9-iron onto the island green and walking away with a 2-putt par.

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