july30

Natalie Gulbis finally put pay to her reputation as the best looking girl on tour never to have won, to claim her maiden title – the Evian Masters in France, yesterday.

The 24-year-old American silenced her critics by picking up the $450,000 first prize cheque at the Evian Royal Resort courtesy of a birdie at the first extra hole of a play-off against South Korea’s Jeong Jang.

It was the second time glamorous Gulbis had faced a sudden-death play-off, she narrowly missed out on victory in the 2006 Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic, on that occasion she was forced to go to the third extra hole before Mi Hyun Kim took the title.

But this time Gulbis was prepared for the pressure and the well-deserved title clearly meant everything to her. “This is my sixth year on tour and obviously in the U.S. there has been quite a bit of hype about whether I would ever win a tournament,” a tearful Gulbis told reporters. “What does it mean? How long do you have?” she laughed.

Gulbis carded a final round two-under-par 70 to finish four-under-par for the tournament, tied with Jeong Jang and one ahead of women’s world number one Lorena Ochoa.

She now heads up to St. Andrews for the British Ladies Open, starting this Thursday 2nd August, and is hoping her form will continue on the Old Course links. Look out for a special TG interview with Gulbis this Wednesday before she tees off in the championship.