Gulbis, Park reside at opposite ends of pro golf spectrum
Posted on Thursday, July 3, 2008
ROGERS - She hasn't finished in the top 10 of an LPGA event this year and can boast only one career win in her more than six years on tour.
Though she lacks the bona fides of more accomplished players, Natalie Gulbis cuts as prominent a profile as anyone on the ladies tour thanks to her comely looks and marketing savvy. This week she's conspicuous as one the main faces promoting the P & G NW Arkansas Championship. For months her picture has heralded the arrival of the tournament, grac- ing area posters and billboards. The same picture adorned the pairings guide for Wednesday's pro-am at Pinnacle Country Club. Wherever she ventured on the property, people knew who she was.
Wednesday afternoon Gulbis bounced jauntily into the interview room inside Pinnacle's stately clubhouse, buoyed by the effervescence that's made her one of the most popular players in women's golf. It was a demeanor that belied her struggles this season, failing to build on her first career win at last year's Evian Masters in France.
She's missed the cut in four of 14 events this year and ranks 52 nd on the money list ($ 154, 402 ). Shooting a second-round 80, she didn't get to play Saturday and Sunday of last week's U. S. Open.
"I really struggled with my driver, spent a lot of time kind of all over the place," Gulbis said of her U. S. Open experience. "So I've been testing a lot of drivers here for the last couple of days."
Gulbis has dithered on a driver since hers was mishandled and broken on a plane trip. She played two drivers during her pro-am round, trying to find the right fit.
"I have two really good clubs, so I think either one will be fine," Gulbis said.
At the other end of the spectrum resides Inbee Park. Her resume during the first half of 2008 is far more weighty than the one Gulbis has compiled during a career that's been notable for her exploits outside the ropes than her actual playing record. Park is a major champion, winning last week's U. S. Open, and ranks fourth on the money list ($ 1, 008, 023 ), yet she still blends into the scenery.
While Gulbis' press conference commanded a roomful or sportswriters and photographers, the interest generated by Park could barely scare up a handful of scribes. Sharing the same last name as five other players on tour, Park's had a hard time carving out an identity. She said winning the U. S. Open has helped make her less anonymous.
"In some ways it's hard because people have a hard time remembering you because they are confused with the Parks," Park said. "I think people really recognize me a lot now, and I think the U. S. Open will help very, very much."
There are more demands on Park's time since she's become a major champion, but she doesn't mind the extra attention. Her celebrity is most profound on the peninsula of her native South Korea.
"It's been ver y, ver y hectic," she said. "I never thought that this would happen to me this quick, and the last couple of days have been very, very crazy. I didn't know this is such a big thing. I mean it's so big in Korea, and everybody knows about me, and it's a weird feeling going on in my mind. It's not something that I was used to before, but I'm liking it very much. I'm tired, but I'm liking it very much."
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