Natalie Gulbis
Professional female golfer Natalie Gulbis is set to appear on the newest season of Celebrity Apprentice, which premieres on March 1, 2009 on NBC. She will be playing for the Boys and Girls Club.
Natalie was born on January 7, 1983 in Sacramento, California. By age 4, she had already showed an interest in golf. It didn’t take long for her to win her first tournament – at age 7. By age 10, she was breaking par.
When Natalie was 14, she played in her first LPGA tour event as an amateur, with a handicap of 2. At age 16, Natalie graduated from Granite Bay High School. She attended the University of Arizona, the defending NCAA golf champions, on a scholarship. She earned All-American honors, but decided to turn professional at age 18.
While it would be five years before Natalie would win a professional tournament, she was doing well on the tour, earning over $1 million in 2005, the sixth highest on the LPGA. From the 2005 LPGA Championship to the 2006 Kraft Nabisco Championship, Natalie would finish in the top 10 four consecutive times.
In 2007, she finally got the illusive win – the Evian Masters. She defeated Jeong Jang to win the $3 million dollar grand prize. Natalie has had endorsement deals with TaylorMade Golf, Adidas, Canon, Raymond Weil geneve, Amstel Light, SkyCaddie, Payment Data Systems, MasterCard, Winn Golf Grips and Lake Las Vegas Resort.
Natalie caused a bit of controversy in 2004 when she released a calendar featuring her not only playing golf, but also posing in sexy swimwear. The United States Gold Association (USGA) would not allow the calendar to be sold at the 2004 U.S. Women’s Open as it felt it was inappropriate.
Natalie posed for the men’s magazine FHM in November 2004. The issue also gave away a chance to play golf with Natalie at the Lake Las Vegas Resort, her home course. In 2006, Natalie started writing a monthly golf advice column for FHM. She appeared in Sactown magazine in August 2007.
Natalie appeared in a reality show, titled “The Natalie Gulbis Show,” on The Golf Channel in 2005. The show ran for two seasons. Natalie appeared alongside Annika Sorenstam, Ian Poulter, and Luke Donald in the 2007 version of Tiger Woods PGA Tour video game.
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