Today marks Gulbis' 27th birthday. Earlier, the LPGA star tweeted, "Having the best birthday! We had cookies, yes homeade cookies and coffee for [breakfast]. My friends made me wear a crown!" When I read this update from one of the Tour's hottest players (in terms of attractiveness AND talent), a few things came to mind: (a) Natalie eats cookies? (b) Who is responsible for losing my invitational in the mail? and (c) she deserves the crown.
Gulbis has achieved a lot since attending the University of Arizona, and she doesn't just have her beauty to thank for it. During the summer after her freshman year at the University of Arizona, Gulbis finished in a tie for 34th at the US Women's Open, and was named the MVP at the USA-Japan Collegiate Golf Championships. These successes lead Gulbis to decide to pursue her professional career earlier than she had originally anticipated. After turning professional in 2001, she competed briefly on the Futures Tour before becoming fully exempt to play on the LPGA Tour in 2002.
Since joining the Tour, Gulbis has also experienced a wealth of successes. In 2002, she finished second in the Tour's Rookie of the Year competition. In 2007, she won the Evian Masters. She has finished in the top ten in major events on four occasions, with her best showing at 2006 Kraft Nabisco Championship in which she finished in a tie for third. In total, Gulbis has won nearly $4 million in prize money on Tour, thanks to 33 top ten finishes in 196 events played (16.8 percent).
Although 2009 was not Gulbis' best year in terms of prize money earned, it was most definitely a memorable one for her. Gulbis was a member of the victorious United States Solheim Cup team, was a contestant on NBC's The Celebrity Apprentice, and made an appearance on The Price Is Right. Most recently, Gulbis, along with Cristie Kerr and Suzann Pettersen, represented the LPGA Tour in the Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge, and beat the competing teams, which comprised of Champions and PGA Tour players.
Gulbis' latest tweet read, "One of my favorite parts of birthdays is getting texts and messages from friends and people in my life." Don't worry, Natalie, we love you too!
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