Enviable Assets : Sophie Sandolo's Golf and Glamour

Here in the US, many know Sophie Sandolo from Big Break Kaanapali. Others are admirers of her calendars which have featured elegant, erotic photography... and liberal amounts of artful nudity, since 2005, years before the arrival of the ESPN Magazine "body issue".

I wrote about Sophie back in December of 2007. She had just published her 2008 calendar and was again ahead of the curve. She had dedicated it to "Golf in the Olympics" at that point, still a distant dream.

As the 2010 golf season gets underway... with golf firmly in place as an Olympic sport and the golf-nudity barrier flatly demolished by three LPGA players and a golf cart... Sophie Sandolo is heading to Morocco for the Lalla Meryem Cup, an event she won in 2006.

Back injuries kept Sophie off the fairways for much of 2009 but after carding a couple of 65s at the (awesome) Omnium de la Riviera last week, it appears the fetching, forward-thinking, French-Italian golf girl is back on course in 2010.

And... you can get the latest Sophie news at her website ...and you can follow her on Facebook.
by golf pundit and author of a new book, Patricia Hannigan

Awesome Early Commitments for the 2010 Travelers Championship

Here in Connecticut mid-March is generally when we start looking forward to summer.

Well this year... after a particularly cold, snowy winter... we're literally longing for it... collectively yearning for warm, sunny days and green fairways.

The Travelers Championship, our state's biggest sporting event has practically become synonymous with summer in CT. For almost two decades the tournament once known as the GHO... and the festivities surrounding it... have been a big part of summer in the nutmeg state. And yesterday some awesome early commitments for the 2010 Travelers were announced.

Awesome as in the tournament's past three winners: Hunter Mahan, Stewart Cink and Kenny Perry... Awesome as in some "promising young guns": Rickie Fowler and Anthony Kim... Awesome as in eternal CT fan favorite: Stuart Appleby.

And that's just the beginning. Vijay Singh loves CT and when I spoke to Sergio Garcia in Cromwell last year, he had great things to say about the Connecticut fans. And I just started a "Bring Camillo to CT" movement. It would definitely be fun to welcome the "Hombre Araña" to our state.

Players clearly enjoy being at TPC River Highlands. The practice area, which was totally rebuilt two years ago is state-of-the-art and one of the largest on the PGA Tour. Gently sloping fairways, numerous water features and natural amphitheaters make the course a pleasure to play and create a stellar spectator experience.

I'll keep you updated on additional commitments and upcoming Travelers Championship activities. You can also follow the tournament on Facebook and Twitter. Hey, and why not plan a trip to CT to see the tournament yourself? It takes place from June 21, through June 27. Hope to see you there.

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

I Got My MacBook a Brand New Golf Skin...

It's actually a Lap Tat. And it'll definitely make my Mac more graphically appealing. The decals come in a myriad of colors and designs and they're removable so you can change your shade with the seasons. My laptop now matches my golf bag so that works for me.

Like so many good things Lap Tats are available at Etsy for $12.50 plus shipping. You can follow them on Twitter too. ♛ T/Y Erik Gavriluk.

Mojo 6 - Time to Cast Your Last 16th Player Votes

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The lucky 16th lady is one of the those pictured above... and what she'll win is a spot in the upcoming LPGA sanctioned Mojo 6 tournament at Cinnamon Hill Golf Course in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

Mojo 6 has already signed up the best-of-the-best... top players based on their World Rankings. The event will be the first ever Raceway Golf tournament... a fast-paced new format that, from the sounds of it, will be exciting and funny... appears to have the potential for quite a bit of drama.

I first wrote about this intriguing LPGA adventure a few months ago, and find it hard to believe the event is just 50 days away now.

Oh... and you only have till Sunday to get your vote in for that still unknown 16th. They're all awesome players - I've added a link to each contestant's websites or LPGA profiles below for some additional details:

Amy Alcott ★ Catriona Matthew ★ Eun-Hi Jee ★ Jeong Jang

Laura Davies ★ Lindsey Wright - Marianne Skarpnord ★ Nicole Castrale

Sandra Gal ★ Beatriz Recari ★ Anna Rawson ★ Vicky Hurst

Now get over there and vote!

Golf, Gaming & Much More: Harrah's Total Experience

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Ah, the group trip.

It could be a destination wedding, or a mancation... a girlfriend getaway or a family reunion, if you've ever gotten stuck having to had to plan one you know the dilemma. Once you've been designated the as the ringleader you quickly discover each member of your group is on a slightly different page... maybe even a different chapter... and you realize the old adage "you can't please everyone" just doesn't cut it when your talking about someone's vacation.

And when you want add golf into the mix... for some or all of your group... especially in place like Vegas or AC... the stressfulness is multiplied. Because your group is counting on you for the best course, the easiest access and the most impeccable service... plus all the accouterments of an awesome group golf trip.

And that's where Harrah's Total Experience... comes in. It's a free program that'll free you from the pressures of planning that group trip. Total Experience and Total Golf Experience offer an extraordinary level of service, planning and assistance... including myriad VIP privileges not... for any group of six or more. ~ Here's how it works: you get your own a Total Experience Specialist. An insider who knows the lay of the land and takes care of everything. Then adds lots of extras, and makes sure it's all perfect... you end up with none of the stress, and all the credit... and a really happy group.

The Total Experience website gives you all the details and gets you started. So you don't have to dread the ringleader role when your next group trip comes up. In fact you can relish it.

Director's Cut - Rachael Herron

Listen here:


This Director's Cut has been sponsored by:

We chat with Rachael Herron, author of "How to Knit a Love Song". You can find her calendar here.

Things we talk about:

NaNoWriMo
Agentquery.com
Elizabeth Zimmerman's "Knitting Without Tears"
Mills College
Cade's Sweater
The Sweater Curse

PUMA Buys Cobra ... and Jochen Zeitz is Awesome

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With all the golf clothes I have... and I have tons... I'll rarely hit the course without some PUMA on.

I've golf four pairs of PUMA golf shoes... though one's been in my sister's possession since last July when I lent it to her for the PUMA open. For some reason, I can't get her to give them back, though I've asked repeatedly.

I love my PUMA Belts too and the skirts, pants, shirts... everything reflects a color pallet that's anything but traditional. Plus the way the pieces are cut and the hardware. What it all adds up to is... I tend to feel empowered in PUMA.

The PUMA brand is as innovative and appealing and cool as its chairman, Jochen Zeitz, who's been called the golden boy of global branding, and who's taken PUMA from a losing proposition to a global powerhouse.

Those of us with a passion for golf have got to be happy that Herr Zeitz is committed to the golf category. So committed in fact, that his PUMA has just announced it will acquire innovative golf equipment brand Cobra - the inventor the original hybrid club. Recent PGA Tour winners Camillo Villegas and Ian Poulter, will presumably come with the brand.

But the thing I like most about PUMA... and about Jochen Zeitz, the man... is the commitment to causes... to world peace and the elimination of hunger... and much more. In fact PUMA has an in-house charity organization founded and run by employees... and supported by PUMA management. The stated purpose of the organization is "to activate PUMA’s products and the company’s worldwide infrastructure in order to raise money internally in support of people in need". That sounds pretty awesome to me.

Top Photo:Photograph: Timm Schamberger/AFP/Getty Images