If there’s one rule in magazines, it’s this: Put Kate Upton in as many issues as possible. Even Golf Digest — and we’re not complaining. That’s a promo for November’s issue, which will feature her and Arnold Palmer nude golfing. Or something.
Wait, why are they doing this?
Via Golf Digest: Upton’s agent at IMG is Lisa Benson, a native of Punxsutawney, Pa., which is right in the Western Pennsylvania wheelhouse of Arnie’s Army. Benson also played college golf for two-and-a-half years at Penn State.
“She wants to be more than just a model,” Benson said about Upton. “The other day she said, ‘I want a soap with an umbrella on it,’” referring to the distinctive Palmer logo. At the rate she is going, an Upton logo might not be too far in the future.
“There couldn’t be two more different people,” said Johnston, the vice chairman of IMG who has been handling Palmer’s business affairs for decades. “A 20-year-old supermodel and an 83-year-old icon,” He said, smiling as he shook his head. “But they hit it off.”
And Palmer could not have been more impressed with Upton, who does take you back in the way she shatters any stereotype you might have about models with her insight and sharp wit.
“She’s a very astute young lady,” Palmer said. “She’s with it. She’s interested in the hospital. She has a great grasp of what she wants to do with her career. I enjoyed talking with her about many different things. She’s very sharp.”
Upton’s visit to the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies affected her as much as her time with Palmer affected her.
So some meeting between the two at Bay Hill for the Arnold Palmer Invitational was orchestrated by their “people”, and from there, they hatched the idea to combine brands for this photo shoot, and maybe some products down the line. Net result: More exposure for both of them. Whatever, as long as she doesn’t give up nude horseback riding, we’re cool with the whole cross-promotional thing.
Even if she’s kind of kissing grandpa…