Beatriz Recari
Adidas Footwear For Purists ( 5)
Darn Good.
Prett y
Rocco Mediate
What happened on the LPGA Tour in
California on Sunday was all good for all
sorts for reasons, not the least of which
was the photogenicity of the winner. Spain’s
Beatriz Recari is 23 and now a first-time
winner in the States. If she ever gets bored
with golf, she has a future as a model. And if
you don't believe that, just Google her.
Cover-girl looks, of course, don't win
tournaments. But Recari's gritty final-
round, 2-under 70 was good enough to
capture the CVS/pharmacy LPGA Challenge
by one stroke. More of this from her will
certainly capture the imagination of the
general public. In the entertainment
business, they call this “crossover” appeal.
And in women's golf, where the struggle for
column inches, photo play and Internet hits
has been a desperate one, Recari's victory
couldn't have come at a better time.
Elsewhere in golf Sunday, there were
comebacks everywhere. Aussie Richard
Green charged from seven behind to win on
the European Tour in Portugal. Irishman
Padraig Harrington came back from a
two-year drought to triumph in Indonesia.
Likeable American Rocco Mediate
resurfaced on the PGA Tour, blew a big lead,
holed a late wedge for eagle and walked
away with a stunning victory in that Tour's
Fall Series. And the equally affable Yank,
Jason Gore (remember him from the 2005
U.S. Open at Pinehurst?), won for a record
seventh time on the Nationwide Tour.
None of those stories, however, was
freighted with the potential significance of
Recari's breakthrough.
