Where’s Natalie Gulbis?

By DAVID THEUS

This week I’m sad to say didn’t fare as well as one would hope for our Natalie. After finishing this same tournament last year at 2 under for the tournament, shooting a combined score of 286, and taking home a respectable $17,163 tied for 17th. I thought for sure this was the course Natalie would feel more comfortable with, and definitely more familiar with.

Saturday morning Natalie was paired with one of her athletic hero Christie Kerr and the equivalent to Tiger Woods on the LPGA, recently announced soon to retire and start a family, Annika Sorenstram. Sometimes in golf or even the game of tennis, it is better to play with those better than you, they tend to force you to raise your level of play and you will most of the time, play at your best.

Apparently, that is not always true, maybe the stress and pressure of being paired with these two fine women athletes was too much. Maybe it was the ducking for cover Natalie had to do when Sorenstram took one into a tree and it ricocheted right back into Natalie’s face. That surely wasn’t friendly play by Ms. Annika.

Either way our Natalie’s wheels fell off in glorified fashion. She went from somewhere up in the pack on Saturday to right above the cut, finishing the tournament tied for 60th with the players that nobody can even say their names. You thought I was kidding: Erica Blasberg, Young-A-Yang, and Virada Nirapathpongporn. I’ll leave the sophomoric comments up to you.

The good news is there is always next week. Just a short drive up the turnpike and next week’s play is going to at the LPGA Corning, held at the Corning CC in none other than Corning, New York. As always Natalie, we wish you all the luck we can muster. Just stay focused on the prize and may all of your drives  be in bounds.