Everyone knows who Michelle Wie is. She has taken women’s golf to new heights, and to a new fanbase which is much younger, and much more ethnically diverse. Wie is also extremely marketable being very studious, having an incredible swing, an Asian female as well as for her length when she hits a golf shot. She is comparable to the men so much so that they actually allow her to compete on the PGA Tour. And just when the buzz surrounding Wie couldn’t be any greater, along comes a pin up girl named Natalie Gulbis, who hits the ball like Tiger Woods, and looks even hotter than Tiger’s wife Elin.

Natalie is a classic American athlete story, growing up in Sacramento and then attending the University of Arizona. She finally started to compete on the LPGA in 2002, and is the youngest player ever to qualify to compete on the Tour along with Wie. And while Natalie demands so much attention from the galleries and fans as she is very cute, and very chatty, always seemingly happy with a smile on her face 24/7, her best finish in the 4.5 years she has been on the Tour is a tie for third, something that wont keep you on the Tour for very long. The accusations of Gulbis being too worried about her own website, or her calendars or her love life are all fair, and until she starts to win and shuts the naysayers up, she will always have to hear this. The quickest way to not hear it anymore is to win. And Natalie knows this.

While Natalie certainly has many years to craft her sport and win, she makes no qualms that what she is doing right now is best for her. Natalie spends lots of time updating her website, speaking to her fans via email, answering the thousands of questions they have per day. Meanwhile, her competitors are out on the practice putting green, putting 500 golf balls every time out. Do you think that can help Gilbris’ short game? Natalie loves to show off her figure, and it is one of the reasons she has become such a star so fast without ever winning. She participates in photo shoots, she does calendars, and she wears clothes that certainly do not hide her body. She is sponsored by Adidas who have seen the potential in having Natalie wear her clothes.

So the big question becomes how long before Natalie can stop banking on a sex object, and start filling the bank with prize money. She seems focused, but she may be focused on the wrong thing. If she takes that focus, and applies it to her swing, to her mental preparation every week, then we have the makings of another star. But if she continues to only care about calendars and FHM Magazine, then she will end up with other well known female pinups who tried their best to get the world to call them athletes.

A PimpWiz Exclusive By Ryan Berger

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Labels: RyanBerger, Sports