LPGA star Natalie Gulbis has her own reality show on the Golf Channel, glamour-shot calendars and many endorsements, and she finished this season with something she'd never had before: an LPGA win. We caught up with her in Central Park to talk about her success on and off the course, her round with Tiger, her favorite John Daly story, and what it was like to finally win.
• Video: Highlights of Natalie's GOLF.com interview
• Swing Sequence: A hitch in her giddyup
• Gallery: Her career in photos
• Photos: Behind the scenes with Natalie
Going back to your first win at the Evian Masters in July, what's the one thing you think about most?
Probably walking down the fairway from the tee shot to the green. I hit the ball on the green on a par 5 in two, and the girl I was playing against, she had hit the ball over the green. And just walking down the fairway and just trying to remember that moment with all the fans and what it looked like. It was something that I could always remember.
I'm sure it was kind of hard because you didn't know at the time that you were going to win. It was not like you had a five-shot lead. Was it hard to think about that while still trying to be in the moment?
No, not at all. I was just trying to enjoy it. If it was my time, it was going to be. I was planning on making birdie, so I was definitely excited to go and hit the next shot. I wasn't really in a state of nervousness, like, 'Oh no, now I have to putt!' I was looking forward to it, and just trying to enjoy it. It's fun to be in the hunt, and it's something we all enjoy, and when you get there you want to figure out how you get back there as fast as you can.
Have you been analyzing everything that went into your win?
I did right away. I did that night. I wanted to remember what I had done because I knew I wanted to get back there again. It wasn't any different than any other week. Just that week I made a few extra putts and made a few less mistakes.
So that was the difference?
Just a few less mistakes. Over the course of an event, it's only one or two shots that can be the difference from you winning the event or finishing in the top 10. And that was that week. I didn't make a lot of bogeys. I was very consistent, and it worked.
In the Solheim Cup, you were in the final singles match. What was it like knowing the entire Solheim Cup could come down to your match?
I was definitely a lot more nervous going into Sunday of Solheim than I think I'd ever been. The captain put me in the anchor position, where I knew the matches were going to be tight and I knew how much my match was going to mean. And it's a little bit different when you're playing for yourself. I was playing for my team, I was playing for my coaches, playing for my country, and there was a lot more pressure in that situation.
When did you find out that it was wrapped up, and it wasn't going to be on you to win it?
I had asked Meg Mallon before, 'You got any last bits of advice for me?' She has been in the Solheim Cup numerous times. She's a great champion. She said, 'Today, don't look at the boards.' And I'm a leaderboard watcher. I like to know what's going on. She said, 'Only take care of your match and make sure you win your match. Just take care of your match.' So for 14 holes I was 4 up, and I was just grinding out my match, and my caddie Greg had asked me if I had looked at a leaderboard. And I said, 'No! Meg Mallon said I couldn't look at the leaderboard! Let's just win our match.' And he's like, 'OK.' And I had caught a glimpse of a leaderboard, and for some reason that one was right in my face on 14. It said the U.S. had won. My match had made a difference in the momentum of the cup, but it didn't make a difference in winning it. It was a great feeling.
When you started your match, the U.S. was up in a lot of matches. Do you think that would have affected you at all if you had known?
I think I may have played a little bit easier. I don't think I would have played as hard knowing that we already had it clinched. It was a great thing for me, and it was a learning experience to just take care of my business on the golf course.
• Video: Highlights of Natalie's GOLF.com interview
• Swing Sequence: A hitch in her giddyup
• Gallery: Her career in photos
• Photos: Behind the scenes with Natalie
Going back to your first win at the Evian Masters in July, what's the one thing you think about most?
Probably walking down the fairway from the tee shot to the green. I hit the ball on the green on a par 5 in two, and the girl I was playing against, she had hit the ball over the green. And just walking down the fairway and just trying to remember that moment with all the fans and what it looked like. It was something that I could always remember.
I'm sure it was kind of hard because you didn't know at the time that you were going to win. It was not like you had a five-shot lead. Was it hard to think about that while still trying to be in the moment?
No, not at all. I was just trying to enjoy it. If it was my time, it was going to be. I was planning on making birdie, so I was definitely excited to go and hit the next shot. I wasn't really in a state of nervousness, like, 'Oh no, now I have to putt!' I was looking forward to it, and just trying to enjoy it. It's fun to be in the hunt, and it's something we all enjoy, and when you get there you want to figure out how you get back there as fast as you can.
Have you been analyzing everything that went into your win?
I did right away. I did that night. I wanted to remember what I had done because I knew I wanted to get back there again. It wasn't any different than any other week. Just that week I made a few extra putts and made a few less mistakes.
So that was the difference?
Just a few less mistakes. Over the course of an event, it's only one or two shots that can be the difference from you winning the event or finishing in the top 10. And that was that week. I didn't make a lot of bogeys. I was very consistent, and it worked.
In the Solheim Cup, you were in the final singles match. What was it like knowing the entire Solheim Cup could come down to your match?
I was definitely a lot more nervous going into Sunday of Solheim than I think I'd ever been. The captain put me in the anchor position, where I knew the matches were going to be tight and I knew how much my match was going to mean. And it's a little bit different when you're playing for yourself. I was playing for my team, I was playing for my coaches, playing for my country, and there was a lot more pressure in that situation.
When did you find out that it was wrapped up, and it wasn't going to be on you to win it?
I had asked Meg Mallon before, 'You got any last bits of advice for me?' She has been in the Solheim Cup numerous times. She's a great champion. She said, 'Today, don't look at the boards.' And I'm a leaderboard watcher. I like to know what's going on. She said, 'Only take care of your match and make sure you win your match. Just take care of your match.' So for 14 holes I was 4 up, and I was just grinding out my match, and my caddie Greg had asked me if I had looked at a leaderboard. And I said, 'No! Meg Mallon said I couldn't look at the leaderboard! Let's just win our match.' And he's like, 'OK.' And I had caught a glimpse of a leaderboard, and for some reason that one was right in my face on 14. It said the U.S. had won. My match had made a difference in the momentum of the cup, but it didn't make a difference in winning it. It was a great feeling.
When you started your match, the U.S. was up in a lot of matches. Do you think that would have affected you at all if you had known?
I think I may have played a little bit easier. I don't think I would have played as hard knowing that we already had it clinched. It was a great thing for me, and it was a learning experience to just take care of my business on the golf course.
