Kiffin topples Gulbis, squares off against Danica Patrick in round two
In a stunning victory, the unheralded 16th-seed, Lane Kiffin, toppled the No. 1-seed and one of golf's sexiest, Natalie Gulbis, to move on to the second round of Esquire's Sexiest Woman Alive Madness Tournament.
USC's newest head coach, who at one point lead the LPGA star and FHM heartthrob by as many as 16,000 votes, finished the first round with a healthy 56% to 44% lead over Gulbis.
Obviously shocked and dismayed that an underdog with the wrong equipment could infiltrate and succeed in the Sexiest Woman Alive Madness Tournament, Gulbis at one point tweeted, “So how is Lane Kiffin beating me in sexiest woman alive on Esquire.com? Really? This can not be good.”
Kiffin, to his credit, took the high road through the whole ordeal with Gulbis and even tweeted his first-round foe words of encouragement, “hey @natalie_gulbis I apologize for this early lead; please finish strong like a 1 seed should. tell evry1 u know 2 vote for u ASAP!!!!!”
Despite not being a woman (duh), Kiffin is bucking trends with his first round upset and now seeks to turn the tables on IndyCar's Danica Patrick in round two.
Check out the slideshow of Kiffin's second-round opponent at the bottom of the page.
The 8th-seeded Patrick is coming off a solid, 57%-43%, victory over Dancing With The Stars contestant and ESPN peephole favorite, Erin Andrews.
If the Butler Bulldogs showed us anything in their run to the NCAA Championship title game, it is that underdogs, like Kiffin, can thrive and succeed against powerhouse schools (and in Kiffin's case, powerhouse women).
Somebody better get Kiffin fitted for a glass slipper, because this Cinderella Story is just getting started.
Second round voting begins Monday, April 12th.
