Q. Just talk little bit about your thoughts now leading the round, leading after the first round of the tournament, especially after the run to end the round.
NATALIE GULBIS Definitely the way you want to finish the round. I actually struck the ball well all day. I had to chip out of the rough only one time. I had a lot of opportunities for birdies all day and started dropping putts at the end.
Q. Questions?
[Question from viewer]
With all you’ve heard building up to this golf course, did you think you or anyone would have shot 5 under.
NATALIE GULBIS: No, my caddy and I thought 8 under would win this. I thought pretty much anything under par would be a really good round.
Q. How much did your group feed off each other?
NATALIE GULBIS: Quite a bit. On 10, for example, all three of us hit birdie. It was a pretty good ball striking group to be amongst.
Q. Is it intimidating playing with Annika?
NATALIE GULBIS: No, it’s fun to feed off of that, though, when someone’s hitting a lot of fairways and firing at pins. It’s nice to be paired with whoever is playing well, Annika or anybody.
Q. You still working with Butch?
NATALIE GULBIS: Yes, I am. He’s not here this week but talked to him last night.
Q. What did he tell you, “Go make birdies on the last five holes”?
NATALIE GULBIS: No, that would have been work. No, go out and have fun. We’re working on being more consistent and cutting back on mistakes, that’s pretty much what we have been doing on my swing and my game.
Q. Does he want to tinker with your swing or work with it?
NATALIE GULBIS Just make it better, my swing is unorthodox, try to simplify it, make it shorter. Nothing drastic, but clean it up. He’s really taken his time with it, which has been great. I have been able to play through a lot of the changes.
Q. You say your swing is unorthodox. Are you happy or have you ever said, “I want to change it”?
NATALIE GULBIS Well, I continue to I don’t know if it’s change. You try to make it better. It’s the swing that’s gotten me to the Tour. You try to make it better and better and work on it to build the consistency of it. That’s one of the things Annika does so well is to repeat her golf swing.
Q. When did you start feeling you were hitting the ball really well, last week on the range or just when you got there today?
NATALIE GULBIS I struck the ball yesterday well in the practice round and pretty much from the beginning of the day.
Q. Those 3 putts, were those
NATALIE GULBIS I hit the ball too hard, a little too aggressive.
Q. You go from the 3 putts to not missing?
NATALIE GULBIS I actually had three 3 putts.
Q. You’re either 3 putting or draining everything?
NATALIE GULBIS Nothing in between. The greens were faster than I anticipated them to be and I hit the ball too hard.
Q. So it was the speed or your stroke?
NATALIE GULBIS Yeah, I hit it too hard, just speed.
Q. When you came out on Tour, did you envision winning early in your career?
NATALIE GULBIS Yes.
Q. How do you feel about your career, are you disappointed you haven’t won?
NATALIE GULBIS Absolutely. I had a pretty successful time in college and won four times. You get used to it. Then I came out my first year and I absolutely thought I remember looking at players like Dorothy and Grace, my peers, and absolutely expected I would win my first year.
Q. Why do you think you haven’t?
NATALIE GULBIS Consistency. I have had good rounds and been in the hunt but haven’t put together four good rounds.
Q. Are things still moving ahead with the reality show?
NATALIE GULBIS Yes, it comes out the third week in July. It’s actually called Natalie. They pretty much shoot specific things away from the golf course, baseball game, photo shoot, things like that.
Q. Are they here this week?
NATALIE GULBIS No, they’re coming next week.
Q. A little more about the course. Is this the type of course you like, a modern course like this, as opposed to the old traditionals, does this fit your eye?
NATALIE GULBIS Yeah, it puts a premium on ball striking and it’s a tough golf course. You have to hit shots. The greens hold really well. As soon as you miss a drive, you’re scrambling for par, or miss a green, because the rough is brutal.
Q. Was there any I know it’s just Thursday but was there any kind of a motivation to get ahead of Annika?
NATALIE GULBIS Every week I think you’ve got to pretty much birdie every hole or finish on top. That’s the mentality you have to have out here.
Q. Even on a Thursday, the first round, a long way to go, be fun to get in ahead of her?
NATALIE GULBIS Of course, it’s always fun to lead any days.
Q. Do you see yourself as one of the rivals of that group of people who want to beat Annika?
NATALIE GULBIS As one of the rivals or one of the people that want to beat her.
Q. Rivals, do you see
NATALIE GULBIS I think everyone wants to beat her.
Q. Do you see yourself as one of the rivals among the younger players?
NATALIE GULBIS I think I’m getting closer with my game, but no, right now she’s still a better player.
Q. What is it that’s worked for you this year?
NATALIE GULBIS Just spending a lot of time cleaning up my game more than anything. Trying to simplify my swing and make it shorter and repeat it, better focus, concentration.
Q. Does any of it have to do with being more confident?
NATALIE GULBIS I think you get more comfortable every year for sure, and just working harder. The harder you work, the better you’re going to play.
Q. Did you feel you hadn’t worked hard enough?
NATALIE GULBIS I don’t think I worked on the right thing.
Q. What do you mean?
NATALIE GULBIS I think maybe I just continued to learn more about my swing and work more on the correct things that made me a better ball striker.
Q. What did Butch tell you about your swing that you didn’t know?
NATALIE GULBIS I never had a lesson before I went to Butch. I’m a field player. My father was always my instructor. I didn’t know anything about the swing.
Q. What was he able to say, though, about your specific thing that causes you to do this, then here’s what we’ll do to simplify it?
NATALIE GULBIS Just tell me what to work on and look for it myself. He’s very, very simple. He doesn’t go in and have one way to swing. He takes your swing and makes it better.
Q. He doesn’t charge you more than he charges Adam, does he?
NATALIE GULBIS Same price.
Q. Which is?
NATALIE GULBIS You have to ask him that.
Q. Any more questions?
Natalie, last week did you do the reality shoot with the Phillies.
NATALIE GULBIS Yeah, we went to the Phillies game and they didn’t shoot it. It was all set up and we went to the game, it was a blast. I’m throwing a first pitch at the Rockies game, and they’ll shoot it.
Q. This course, in terms of ranking it among the courses you guys play all year long, where would you place it?
NATALIE GULBIS It’s a phenomenal course, within the top five courses. With our Majors they always get them as pristine as they possibly can. They did a great job.
Q. There’s probably going to be a perception that you spend you’re distracted off the course, too much time with Natalie, the TV show, with the calendar, and not on the golf. Do those things bother you?
NATALIE GULBIS No. The perception is fine. I don’t do that much. My agents, my father, they kind of do it all. I might do a photo shoot here and there, but they push hard, do all the marketing and get it all set up.
Q. Do you feel that perception out there?
NATALIE GULBIS It’s fine, they ask me about it. I get to work on my golf game and do the things I like to do. Lucky I have a good team around me.
Q. Do you enjoy the TV show more than the golfing?
NATALIE GULBIS No way. Not even close.
Q. Just a follow up on the throwing out the first pitch. Have you ever done that before and do you have to practice that, too?
NATALIE GULBIS I’ll probably practice the day of. I think they’re letting me have batting practice, that’s going to be a disaster. I’ll be able to hit all the low balls hopefully.
Q. Do any of your fellow players themselves make mention of the reality shows.
NATALIE GULBIS The players have been incredibly supportive from my Web site, the calendars. There’s a couple of players that have calendars now. I haven’t seen the show yet so we’ll see how it turns out.
Q. Do you throw like a girl?
NATALIE GULBIS I don’t throw like a girl. The first time I threw out a first pitch, there was a guy in front of me and he was really athletic, he threw it way short. The catcher walks up 10 feet and I threw it over his head. I shouldn’t say that, now my first pitch will be horrible in Colorado will be right in the dirt.
Q. Who threw in front of you?
NATALIE GULBIS It was some celebrity.
Q. It wasn’t Ben, was it?
NATALIE GULBIS No, he would probably throw it out of the park.
Q. Do you like playing with Annika? Is it a good draw playing with her?
NATALIE GULBIS Yeah, I would you always want to be playing with the better player.
Q. Why?
NATALIE GULBIS Because you know she’s going to play well. It’s fun to play when someone’s playing well.
Q. Thanks a lot, Natalie.
