Here are a few photos from the welcome party at the 2016 Honda LPGA Thailand tournament, either posted by the golfers themselves or by the tournament on its Facebook page.
Jessica Korda and Michelle Wie:
Morgan Pressel:
Jaye Marie Green and Lexi Thompson:
Sandra Gal, Paula Creamer, Cristie Kerr, Sydnee Michaels and Morgan Pressel:
Paula Creamer:
And nice to see Virada Nirapathpongporn in this photo with Cristie Kerr and Morgan Pressel:
Kira Kazantsev is an accomplished young woman. She speaks three languages. She graduated from Hofstra University Honors College in 2013 after studying political science, global studies and geography. She's a public advocate against domestic violence, has been an ambassador for the Children's Miracle Network (in fact, she's now director of digital marketing for CMN), and keeps up a busy public speaking schedule. She also sings, and has performed publicly at major league baseball games and the NBA All-Star Game, among other high-profile gigs.
Kira was Miss America 2015.
And she loves golf.
"I love (golf) because it's something I grew up doing with my dad as a way to bond," Kazantsev has said. "As Miss America, it became an incredible business and networking tool. I think women who golf are some gutsy women who hold their own on a golf course and can hang with the boys. Every young girl should learn about golf and be taught to play."
Kira picked up golf beginning at age 7. And she's been playing ever since. She's currently a 19-handicap, and as a celebrity she gets her share of invitations to pro-ams. Kira has played in, among others, the BMW Charity Pro-Am (on the Web.com Tour) and the Speedway Golf tournament.
Follow her on Instagram and you'll see occasional updates about her golf excursions. For example, here is Kira's swing in slow-motion:
Another look at that swing:
Check out Kira's website for more info about her busy life, her advocacy work and charitable causes.
The Spring season of the 2016 NCAA golf year is under way, and one of the first winners is Frida Gustafsson Spang. Spang, a senior at East Carolina University, won the UCF Challenge (which concluded in Florida on Feb. 9) by three strokes. Spang carded rounds of 73, 68 and 72 to finish at 3-under 213. She was the only golfer to finish the tournament under par.
Spang is from Kinna, Sweden, and first came to notice by winning the 2011 Swedish Girls Championship. She is a member of the Swedish national team.
And Frida didn't waste any time after joining the East Carolina golf team: She won twice as a freshman and became the first female golfer in Conference USA history to win both Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year in the same season.
She's been an All-Conference selection each year so far, and holds multiple school scoring records including best season average and best career average.
During the Fall part of the 2015-16 season, Spang's results included second-place and seventh-place showings. Given her credentials to this point, it's no surprise she broke through for another win at the UCF Challenge.
You can follow Frida on Instagram.
Who's the latest college golfer blowing up on social media? That's Jordan Wolf. And she can thank her shoes. When Jordan shared a video of herself hitting driver while wearing the chunky, high-heeled shoes known as wedges, it went viral. Take a look:
That's a nice high-heeled swing, and don't worry: Those wedges are spikeless. Jordan had previously caught the attention of the golf world with a video of her hitting a golf shot next to the Golden Gate Bridge. That clip is included in the following highlights video. Typically with "Instagramming With" posts we share multiple photos of a golfer but, hey, when someone else has already done the work for us, we roll with it. So roll video:
Jordan Wolf is currently a sophomore on the Jacksonville University golf team after originally starting at the University of South Florida, where one of her teammates was Lucy Robson. Here are Jordan and Lucy together:
Jordan is originally from Missouri and as a high school golfer was a 4-time all-state selection. She is majoring in film at Jacksonville. So maybe we'll keep seeing great videos from her.
18 Holes with Jimmy Hanlin is a television series that airs on most Fox Sports regional networks, reaching an audience of around 70 million viewers each week, and that combines golf travel with golf instruction. And for the past couple years the co-host has been former Big Break cast member Carling Nolan. But Carling has decided to focus on other endeavors, including working with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
And that means Jimmy needs a new co-host. We're going to miss the lovely Carling, but viewers might be excited about the identity of the show's new co-host: None other than Natalie Gulbis.
Gulbis has been cutting back her tournament schedule since a series of injury issues culminated in hip surgery in 2014. She also began working in television, including as a hole reporter during tournament broadcasts.
Along with Natalie, the show will get an expanded name. You don't add Natalie Gulbis, after all, without making sure everyone knows about it! So going forward the name of the series is 18 Holes with Jimmy Hanlin and Natalie Gulbis. The show is 30 minutes long and it visits 12 golf courses per year.
Show creator and host Jimmy Hanlin spoke to CrainsCleveland.com about his new co-host:
"She brings everything to the table from the standpoint that she has star power, she loves the game of golf, and in person, she’s flat out one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. ... She’s one of the most recognizable golf professionals, man or woman, in the country."
Visit the show's website for more.
@GolfPunk_Mag pic.twitter.com/99Mn2VMZwa
— Natalie Gulbis (@natalie_gulbis) January 8, 2016