The rise of golf star Natalie Gulbis as a marketable name in golf is nothing new. Before Natalie was making a name for herself by posing for FHM magazine and sexy calendars, there was golden girl Laura Baugh in the 1970's.
A high ranked amateur in the early 70's who was part of the U.S. teams that won the 1972 Curtis Cup and the World Amateur Golf Team Championship, Baugh was the darling of the golf world. In 1972 she was voted golf's most beautiful golfer, and later on, this early version of Natalie Gulbis, was featured in an award winning TV commercial.
Despite battles with alcoholism, Baugh would finish in the top ten 66 times in her LPGA career, though she, like tennis starlet Anna Kournikova, would never win a title.
Yet that was long before the internet help turn women athletes into overnight sex symbols, and throughout that time it's the LPGA that has done it's best to try to distance itself from the type of publicity that turned women athletes like softball pitcher Jenny Finch, and swimmer Amanda Beard into sex symbols. Beard a highly decorated swimmer with seven Olympic medals to her name, has been featured in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition in 2006, and was voted ESPN Hottest Female Athlete in 2005. The later award was won by Finch two years earlier.
In sharp contrast, the LPGA banned the selling of Natalie Gulbis swimsuit calendar from its sanctioned events. Not exactly the type of move that is conducive to cultivating a sexy image for the sport. Perhaps then, that is the biggest reason why the LPGA, Natalie Gulbis aside, has a reputation for being "unsexy." Yet If you take a closer look at the sport you will see that the LPGA still has attractive and marketable players beyond Gulbis.
Take for instance Anna Rawson, the 5-10 Australian, Google her name or visit her website (http://www.annarawson.com) and you can't help but think that she too can be the face (or even the body) of women's golf in the near future. Still not convinced? Try the names Paula Creamer, Cristie Kerr, Carrin Koch and even Michelle Wie; all of these women do not fall too far behind Natalie Gulbis as potential future sex symbols.
Source: By Hot Celebrities
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