The Fresh Face of Natalie Gulbis; Martin Eberts in Toronto; The First Fazio?

Yesterday I was in London to cover an announcement by CN that they would be giving $100,000 to a London children’s hospital in conjunction with the sponsorship of the LPGA Canadian Women’s Open at the London Hunt Club. Yawn.[photopress:gulbis2.jpg,full,alignright]

Of course that wasn’t what the largely male media showed up for. No. We appeared to see if Natalie Gulbis is as hot in person as she is on the bad reality program on the golf channel.

And the answer is — sort of. Lots of makeup on that girl, but she’s a pretty fine package nonetheless. Interestingly, the LPGA players, which included legend Juli Inkster (who could be downright caustic), Meg Mallon (delightful), Si Re Pak (understated, but smart), Lorie Kane (outspoken) and Morgan Pressel (damned young), were more than willing to do their bit to promote the tournament, which is more than I can say for their male counterparts.

That’s the thing about the LPGA — the players are better with their sponsors and in promoting their tour than the men. No wonder people are starting to take notice.

Anyway, my story in the National Post today is about the “It” girl phenomena, a concept that suits Pressel and Gulbis just fine.

Other notes:

• Golf designer Martin Eberts was in Toronto last week to work on Fiddler’s Ridge, the new course in Uxbridge being developed by Gordon Stollery, the owner of Angus Glen. Eberts, who used to work with Donald Steel before Steel’s retirement, and who works currently alongside Tom Mackenzie, says the piece of [photopress:Martin_Ebert_B_W.jpg,full,alignright]property is “terrific” and that little land will be moved. According to Stollery, the new course will be private so as not to take rounds away from Angus Glen. It’ll be interesting to see how the course, which is expected to open next summer, will impact Coppinwood, the new Tom Fazio design that is only a few minutes away….
• Speaking of Coppinwood, pro Euan Dougal chastised me in a way that only a friendly Scotsman can get away with for saying the course is Tom Fazio’s first in Canada in the past 30[photopress:tom_fazio2.jpg,full,alignright] years since the National opened in Woodbridge. That course, he rightfully points out, was built with Fazio’s uncle, George. So does that make Coppinwood the “first” Tom Fazio course in Canada, or the second? I guess even if it is only partly true, calling it the first Tom Fazio course in Canada as a marketing vehicle has to be better than the god awful advertising “Another Coppinwood moment,” campaign undertaken last year using the “O’Hare” character. So is it the first solo Fazio? With Tom and Andy Banfield making numerous changes to the National, it isn’t clear there’s a lot of Uncle George left in the old track….