All you ever wanted to know about Natalie

Adam Candee

Tuesday, April 12, 2005 | 9:31 a.m.

Here's the reality: Natalie Gulbis is an above-average golfer with a stellar marketing presence in relation to her emerging career.

Here's the reality TV show: Gulbis is ready to open her home and life to the prying cameras for a six-week series called "Natalie" to be aired on The Golf Channel later this summer.

Gulbis is slated to make a formal announcement about the show at a press conference this afternoon at the LPGA Takefuji Classic at Las Vegas Country Club, where she will compete this week. A Lake Las Vegas resident, Gulbis will show off a bit of her golf trials and travails, but much more about her oft-rumored but rarely confirmed private life.

A press release detailing the show makes the first public acknowledgement by Gulbis of her romantic relationship with Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Pictures of the pair together have been printed in national publications and Gulbis was spotted in Roethlisberger's suite at a Steelers game in Pittsburgh.

The show also promises plenty of good-time footage for the guys, including a look inside Gulbis' photo shoot for her 2006 swimsuit calendar and some form of coverage of her selection to the FHM Magazine 100 Sexiest Women in the World list.

The list of appearances goes on to include "ever-present and very demanding father" John Gulbis; "fellow LPGA beauty" Cristie Kerr partying with Natalie in Las Vegas; and "famed instructor" Butch Harmon. Gulbis first moved to Las Vegas more than two years ago in part to work with Harmon at his golf school based at Rio Secco.

Gulbis, 22, continues to work to get her golf game in line with her celebrity hype. Gulbis posted two top-10 finishes in 2004, earning more than $277,000 to rank 42nd on the LPGA money list. Her scoring average dropped for the second consecutive year, down to 71.72.

In her fourth season on tour, Gulbis is still searching for the consistency to compete each week and to earn enough points to make the 2005 Solheim Cup team - women's golf's version of the Ryder Cup matches. She has posted one top-10 finish this season.

Beginning July 19, the show is slated to air Tuesday nights at 7 p.m. for six weeks.

Parmlid fired the low round at 8-under 64 while Baena carded a 7-under 65. Parmlid and Baena blew away the field, recording the only two scores under 70.

Last year, UNLV's Sunny Oh qualified for the tournament on Monday as a college sophomore, just months before leaving school to turn pro.

Lorena Ochoa (6-1) and Karrie Webb (8-1) follow Kerr. Gulbis is listed at 40-to-1 and fellow local Kim Saiki, coming off one of the best seasons of her career, is at 50-1. Rookie standout Paula Creamer is also at 50-1.

Cimarron-Memorial High graduate Stephanie Louden is at 100-1.