Natalie Gulbis out with back injury

Natalie Gulbis pulled out of last week's tourney after shooting 80 with back spasms. She got checked out and reportedly is on the mend for the next two to three weeks (taking her out of the LPGA McDonald's Championship. Get well, Natalie!

Natalie Gulbis still draws media attention

USA Today ran a full page story on Natalie Gulbis, even though she hasn't come that close to winning this year. I love Natalie Gulbis, but USA Today should be writing stories like this about Lorena Ochoa, the new No.1.

The story has generated 52 comments so far. Some are nice, some downright rude. Here's one of the more serious criticisms by one reader of the USA Today, "typical lamestream media puff piece........cleverly disguised as "serious journalism", but simply a chance to show the most physically attractive player who plays average and looks fantastic........just like Kournikova........and of course, the requisite cheesecake shots up the skirt from ground level.......and this from the liberals who complain about women being viewed strictly as "sex objects" and not taken seriously.......and who does it the most.........the lamesteam media !!!!!!!"

What do you think about this comment -- is it right or wrong?

LPGA Ginn Open: Gone with the wind

I got a chance to watch the ending of the Ginn Open today. For those who missed it, it was a train check. Absolute carnage. The wind, at gusts of 20 to 40 mph, blew away most of the field.

First, there was poor Natalie Gulbis. She started the day at -10, near the top of the leaderboard, but finished it at -2. Yep, that's 8-over for the day, with an 80. It's hard to understand what happened to Natalie, who lives and plays in windy conditions in Vegas. Had Natalie shot even par, she would've made a playoff.

Then, there was the final group of Laura Davies, Lorena Ochoa, and Brittany Lincicome. The carnage was almost as bad. Ochoa shot 77 after going 6 over for the last 6 holes, including a painful bogey on the last hole after being tied for the lead. Had Ochoa won, she would've been the No.1 player in the world.

But even worse was the plight of Laura Davies who had a 1 shot lead at the 17th. Davies missed a 5-foot par putt, missed the comebacker, and double bogeyed the hole, to drop out of the lead. She then blasted her drive on 18th (basically putting all her weight into it), but got a bad bounce into a bunker. Going for broke, Davies hit a 3-iron from the sand, even though she had to get the ball over a 5-foot lip. No dice. The ball hit the bank and floated helplessly into another bunker only 20 yards up. From there, Davies whick-whacked her way to triple bogey. Ouch.

Meanwhile, Brittany Lincicome shot even par for the day, and saw the leaders come back 4 shots from the start of the day.

Natalie Gulbis admits disappointment about start of season

Natalie blogs: Hello Everyone,I want to sincerely apologize for falling behind in my journal entries... I am back in Las Vegas getting ready for the next event in Orlando, Florida. I have had a really tough start to the season both on and off the golf course. As far as my golf goes I am really excited to play next week. I have the new Burner driver in the bag and the new r7 irons. They are so pure! I am hitting the ball really well and excited to play next week. Outside of golf I have been pretty low key..spending a lot of time on my golf game and getting healthy. I have had a great response from fans and friends every week out on tour and I really appreciate everyone's support and cheers....Thanks for coming onto my site..we are working on a new site that should launch soon...

Natalie Gulbis cover story in Golf for Women

Golf for Women features Natalie Gulbis--finally!--on its cover this month. You can read the entire article titled Blond Ambition here. Here's a flavor:

"Among women athletes, Gulbis is not alone in flaunting it. Formula One driver Danica Patrick, the only woman ever to lead the Indianapolis 500, has also appeared in FHM, topless under a black leather jacket. Tennis superstar Maria Sharapova has a swimsuit calendar as well, not to mention the ubiquitous Canon commercial where she's followed by a flock of tennis balls. These women are rare creatures: photogenic, personable, athletically brilliant--poster girls for the irrefutable fact that sex sells everything from watches to cameras to golf clubs. Like Sharapova, Gulbis is sponsored by Canon, one of the high-profile sponsors she's taken on since January 2006, when she signed with Octagon, a powerful sports and entertainment agency with deep ties to corporate America. She has endorsement deals with 14 companies, including Taylormade-AdidasGolf; Mastercard; 24 Hour Fitness; Anheuser-Busch; RSM McGladrey, an accounting firm; EA Sports, the video game company; and SemGroup LP, an energy transportation and storage business. The Wall Street Journal estimates her total 2006 earnings at around $2 to $3 million."

GFW has extra behind-the-scenes photos here.

And even more Natalie Gulbis photos (like the one below) here.