Golf Babes

Stefanie Michl, from Austria, is another golfer who recently earned her tour card for 2008 at the Ladies European Tour final-stage Q-School tournament in Italy. Michl finished tied for fourth at the tournament. Stefanie finished eighth on the Telia Tour Order of Merit in 2006, and played most of 2007 on the LET.

This screen capture of Dana Lacey is from The Golf Channel's Web site. Why are featuring Dana today? Because she won the Ladies European Tour's final qualifying tournament in Italy, earning her playing card for the 2008 LET season. Congratulations to Dana.

That's Vera Shimanskaya, who won an Olympic gold medal in rhythmic gymnastics at the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney.

But now she's a golf professional.

Shimanskaya, from Russia, turned pro prior to the Ladies European Tour Pre-Qualifying School last week in Italy. Now 26 years old, she's only been playing golf since age 23.

According to this article on the LET Web site, Shimanskaya turned pro with a handicap of 3, which means she doesn't have much chance of winning any money at the moment. But a 3-handicap is very impressive for anyone, much less for a golfer who's only been playing for three years.

Paula Creamer finished second in a tournament on the Japanese LPGA tour that finished today. Above is how she looked the last time she was in Japan, which happened to be around the time of her 21st birthday. Paula dressed up Japanese-style for the party.

Here are (from left) Jenna Daniels, Natalie Gulbis and our friend Tina Miller at the after party/pro-am party following Peter Jacobsen's SaveMart Shootout in Fresno, Calif. Tina points out, "Natalie and I are the same height, except when she wears 10-inch heels."

(Thanks to Tina for the photo)

This photo appears on Golf Babes courtesy of Fairways, a French golf and lifestyle magazine. Fairways features some of its more comely readers as "golfing girls next door" in the magazine and on its Web site. Check the Portfolio section of that Web site for more pics.

Photo © Fairways magazine; may not be reproduced without permission

Hat tip to one of my favorite golf babes, The Golf Girl, for pointing out Fairways.

Kim Kouwabunpat works with our friend Nisha Sadekar and Play Golf Designs. If you're heading to Las Vegas and would like to play golf with Kim, check the PGD Web site and you might be able to set up a round. As we've mentioned before, PGD can manage your golf event or provide female touring professionals to lead clinics or play in a corporate outing. All the PGD pros are smart, funny and gorgeous - and they can all kick your butt on the golf course. Can't beat 'em, join 'em. That's my motto.

Speaking of smart, Kim K. was a psychology major at the University of Stanford, where she twice was an All-Pac 10 selection and was the most valuable player on the 2003-04 Stanford women's golf team.

Since turning pro in 2004 following graduation, Kim has played on the Futures Tour, Ladies Asian Golf Tour, Cactus Tour and the CN Canadian Women's Tour.

Left to right, Paula Creamer, Erica Blasberg and Natalie Gulbis.

Another shot of Cristie Kerr from the Oscar night partygoing ... was that earlier this year, or last year? I forget.

It's been an unusual year for Cristie. Not up to her recent standards in many respects - she's had only four Top 10 finishes in 18 starts, has three missed cut. Yet because of her U.S. Women's Open victory - her first major - it feels like it's been a bigger year than it really has.

Great finish for Amy Hung at the Navistar LPGA Classic. She closed with a 63, her personal best on the LPGA by two strokes, and climbed from well-back up to sixth place. That continues her best year on the LPGA so far in her career, moving Amy up to 42nd on the money list.