As one of the larger personalities from The Golf Channel’s Big Break series, Scottsdale golfer Laura London has created quite a following in the last year -- especially throughout the Valley.
Last week, London walked into Tutti Santi, the celebrated Italian eatery in north Phoenix that is more traditional than trendy. London, who was with her date at the time, decided to get the drinks because “girls have better luck than guys (getting a drink) when the place is packed.’’
“The bartender gave me a little smile, so I’m thinking, ‘Great, I’m going to get the drinks right away,’ ’’ London said. “Then (the bartender) said to me, ‘You look very familiar. Are you Laura London?’ ’’
The next thing London knew, she was mobbed. Turns out, there were a lot of golfers among the patrons, and each one of them wanted to tell her about their favorite moment of her exploits on the Big Break VI: Trump National, and the Big Break VII: The Reunion.
It’s pretty much the same whenever she runs into those who play the game. For instance, two weeks ago she upstaged Sheriff Joe Arpaio at the Jerry Colangelo Sports Legends tournament at Ocotillo Golf Resort in Chandler. Luckily, London didn’t end up in pink underwear.
“I’ve got to be honest, I love it when people come up and recognize me from the Big Break,’’ London said. “Like the other night at Tutti Santi, when all these people started saying almost in unison, ‘It’s the Big Break girl!’
“Immediately, we’ve got this bond. It’s like the Big Break changed my life – even if I didn’t win either one of them.’’
Had you been watching, London got bumped off the Big Break VII last week in a short-game elimination contest. But always the one to turn sour grapes into a fine glass of wine, London took the high road.
“I had a good run. I made it to the final six players this time, so I beat out 10 other people,’’ said the 27-year-old Arizona State graduate who once attended Desert Mountain High School.
“The first time, I got past five of nine (contestants) on the Big Break VI, so I was around for awhile. And besides, in the Big Break VII I had a pretty good excuse (for getting eliminated).’’
Yes, London suffered a fractured rib. How it happened, she’s not sure. But somewhere during those two grueling weeks of filming the injury occurred. And it wasn’t stress-related, she said, as VII was much easier than VI.
“My first experience on the Big Break, well, I was a little uptight because I was so worried about winning,’’ London recalled. “My second experience with it, I knew what losing was like, and that made me less nervous.
“I figured if I lost again, it wasn’t the end of the world.’’
As it turns out, the best part about being on the Big Break series for London was just that – the instant celebrity that came with it.
“For the longest time, everywhere I went someone wanted to sign my chest,’’ London said of her “Girls Gone Wild’’ moment in Big Break VI, when Trump actually signed her right breast.
“Back then, everybody thought they could touch me,’’ London added with a laugh. “People would come up and say, ‘Do you have a Sharpie?’ ’’
Turns out, there was more to Laura London than people guessed, as request after request went unfillled. Even though she did come off a little sassy in Big Break VII with statements like “I’m so good,’’ I think people eventually realized that the real “Double L” was pretty loveable.
“I read the (Internet) stuff, and I realize some people think I’m full of myself,’’ she said. “But the truth is, when I said, ‘I’m so good,’ and they picked that up and used it as a teaser for the show, well, it’s just the opposite.
“That’s my self-deprecating humor. I don’t think I’m that good. I don’t think I’m an LPGA-level player. . . . I’m just ‘that Big Break girl,’ and that’s plenty good enough for me.’’
Trust me, we’re going to learn even more about Laura London in the near future. The Golf Channel is launching a new show – Golf With Style – and, yes, London already has shot the first episode down in Mexico. This time she’s competing as a model against other women pros.
“Seriously, I’m scared to death about his one,’’ she said of Golf With Style’s fall debut. “I have to be in my bathing suit, and I don’t care who you are, that’s a tough deal being on TV in a bathing suit.’’
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