LPGA P&G BEAUTY NORTHWEST ARKANSAS CHAMPIONSHIP : Following the Stephenson model
Posted on Friday, July 4, 2008
ROGERS — Past meets present on the first tee today.
Golf trendsetters Jan Stephenson and Anna Rawson are paired together at 1: 05 p.m. in the first round of the LPGA P&G Beauty Northwest Arkansas Championship at Pinnacle Country Club.
Even though both are Australians, they’ll meet for the first time. They should have a lot to talk about.
“Definitely it’s exciting. She was one of my idols. I got lucky,” Rawson said of the pairing. “What she did for women’s golf, raising the profile and being very feminine and all of that, she was kind of a new-age golfer. I think she did a fantastic job.” Stephenson, 56, was the 1970 s version of Rawson and Natalie Gulbis, using her image to promote not only herself but the LPGA Tour.
“I’ve always been a proponent that we need to sell the sex appeal,” Stephenson said. “It’s nice to come out here and see a lot of things were implemented and I helped to do it.” Gulbis, whose first clubs were Jan Stephenson models, and Rawson certainly have that covered. They’ve appeared in numerous fashion magazines, calendars and photo layouts. They’re both known more for their image than their golf by many.
Rawson said it’ s unfortunate that Stephenson is known as much or more for what she did off the course than the 16 tournaments she won.
“She got a lot of flak, being the pretty one and doing the calendars,” said Rawson, who has made one cut in six events this year. “That’s a shame. She was a really good player.” Stephenson had graduated from modeling school when she won the Australian Open in 1973 and joined the LPGA Tour the next year. It wasn’t long before the LPGA was using her to promote its events.
“I started doing whatever they said. We did photo shoots and they’d be like, ‘ Oh, let’s hike your skirt a little more. Not that I was innocent. I just didn’t realize what it was going to do,” Stephenson said.
And as Stephenson continued to pile up victories — she had 16 on the LPGA Tour in her career — they continued to use her to promote more things. She’d fly across the country for a promotional appearance, then back to play in a tournament. They’d also conveniently have her run into famous people like Donald Trump on the street for a photo opportunity that would end up in newspapers and tabloids.
“It was great PR. We got a lot of attention,” she said. “And we got a lot of new sponsors because of it.” She created more controversy when, after winning her third major at the 1983 U. S. Women’s Open, she appeared in a 20 questions segment in Playboy magazine. She also was part of a famous 1986 calendar that saw her pose nude in a bathtub filled with golf balls.
“Maxfli had a golf ball they couldn’t sell. They had a whole warehouse full of them. They asked if I’d do a risqué calendar. They were going to sell a dozen balls with the calendar at Christmas,” Stephenson said. “They sold 250, 000 dozen balls and had to put the ball back into production. It sold out by October.” Stephenson’s career declined after she was mugged in the parking lot of Miami Arena before an NBA game between the Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat in 1990. She broke her left ring finger in two places, and it has hampered her ever since. This is only her third appearance on the LPGA Tour this year, though she remains active with the LPGA Legends Tour that will stop at Turkey Mountain Golf Course in Horseshoe Bend Sept. 28-29.
Rawson said she won’t ask Stephenson for advice on the course today, but might try to get a conversation in over lunch this weekend.
“I’m definitely looking forward to sitting down with her,” Rawson said.
And if she asks for advice, Stephenson will tell her: “If it changes your life financially, yes. If it’s not going to change your lifestyle, be careful if you do it. And if she’s got the talent, she needs to still really, really work on her game. I think I would have won more tournaments and been recognized more for my golf course design.”
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