NUDE SWING

LIM HAN MING

WHO says golf is a staid sport?

Italian golfer Sophie Sandolo has shocked the golfing world by baring all for a raunchy calendar released last month.
The ravishing, 28-year-old beauty is the first woman golfer to pose nude for a calendar.

The good news for Singapore fans is that she is among the 144 golfers who are competing in the inaugural Samsung Ladies Masters starting tomorrow at the Laguna National Golf and Country Club.

The bad news is she will not be in the buff.
Yesterday, she told The New Paper in an interview: 'I want to raise the image of women's golf and give our sport some much-needed publicity.

'The women don't get the kind of recognition as the men's PGA Tour and I intend to change that.

'Ten years ago, there was a big disparity between the men and women tennis players. But the gap has now narrowed.

'Similarly, I hope women's golf can one day be on par with the men.

'Hopefully, my nude calendar will get the world to start watching women's golf.'

In a separate interview, she had said: 'Golf needs visibility, glamour and a new image.

'I've tried to make my small contribution opening a new way that could bring more notoriety to the sport I play and I love so much.

'That's why I accepted the opportunity to pose for a sexy calendar.

'It represents my love for golf, my desire for freedom with a touch of flirtation.

'I'm instinctively attracted by fashion, elegance and glamour.'

According to Sandolo, she has had several requests to strip for the camera, but she turned down all of them.

She said: 'I was quite hesitant about baring my body, so I rejected all of them.

'But I finally agreed to pose nude for this Italian magazine when I was injured last year and was out for four months.

'I was very free then, so I thought I might as well give it a try.'

The one-day photo shoot took place in Turin, Italy.

Asked if she felt awkward naked in front of the camera, she said: 'At first, I didn't feel comfortable because it's a very private thing.

'But after a few shots, I warmed up to the camera and felt more relaxed.

'It helped that the photographer was very nice. We had this chemistry
between us.'

Born in Nice, France, Sandolo's father is Italian and her mother French.

Standing at 1.71-metre tall, the green-eyed marketing graduate from UCLA University exudes a distinctive aura on the golf course.

She is recognised as one of the most glamorous and chic golf professionals on the Robe di Kappa Ladies European Tour, thanks to her fashionable dress sense.

Her sponsors include prestigious Italian fashion companies such as Gruppo La Perla, Conte of Florence and Luciano Barbera.

She's quite a decent golfer too.

She has yet to win on the European Tour, but she has six top 10 finishes in 68 starts.

Last year, her best result was a ninth placing at the Australian Open.

She missed only two cuts last year to finish 44th on the Order of Merit.

To be sure, her latest nude act will raise her profile considerably.

So what does her boyfriend think of the pictures?

She said with a chuckle: 'He thinks they are very tastefully taken. He loves them!'

Asked if she would pose nude again, she said: 'I have some other plans in mind to raise the profile of women's golf.

'But I'm not telling you yet. Maybe in the next calendar year!'

Now, who says golf is a staid sport?