Pizza or a salad?
For the daughter of Italian immigrants, who love to cook enough food for the whole block when only the neighbors are coming over, the decision isn’t easy.
Daniela Iacobelli chose the salad this off-season. It’s an example of a lifestyle change that the two-time Epson Tour graduate and eighth-year professional made.
“I kind of got fed up," explained Iacobelli, who turned 30 during Final Stage of Qualifying Tournament. "I’ve always been the big kid my whole life and I always told myself by the time I was 30 I wanted to try and lose weight. 2017 was a trying year, I had some personal up and downs, but I had a long off-season this year and I just would go to the gym and practice and go to the gym and go practice. I kept at it and ate right.”
Changing her diet pained Iacobelli at times because she loves pizza, but simple things like choosing salad and controlling portion sizes helped her shed 30 pounds and three pants sizes. She also played two hours of racquetball daily all off-season and instead of riding in carts, she walked the courses during practice rounds.
“I hope this helps someone because I was clueless (when it came to portion control),” said Iacobelli. “I grew up in a big Italian family where you make two to three pounds of pasta and you don’t stop eating until it is gone. It just became a calorie thing for me. At the end of the day, I was making sure I was burning more than I was consuming.”
She also changed the frequency at which she ate. In the past, she would sometimes eat just one big meal a day at night. Now, she’s trained her body to eat smaller snacks every two hours.
Iacobelli expected to spend most of her season on the Epson Tour. She anticipated getting into a few events with her limited status after finishing T23 at the final stage of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament, as well as playing Monday Qualifier Roulette.
That all changed at the LOTTE Championship when she turned in rounds of 73-68-70-72 to finish in a tie for ninth, the best result of her career. The finish earned her another start this week on the LPGA Tour at the HUGEL-JTBC LA Open.
“I tried to be as diligent as possible this off-season and practice my weaknesses, which has been putting my entire life,” said Iacobelli en route to Los Angeles. “If I could make two or three more putts a round I’d probably be driving a way nicer car and not scrounging around trying to find host housing.”
The scrounging, or the more common term of grinding tossed around in golf and sport, is part of Iacobelli’s DNA. She’s a grinder to the nth degree. Nothing, literally nothing, has been handed to her. She wasn’t highly recruited out of Satellite High School in Melbourne, she went to Division II Florida Institute of Technology and has scratched and clawed through the Epson Tour and LPGA with little to no financial help. She even was a golf professional at Baytree National just before committing to the Tour full-time.
But, she never complains and intends to continue scrounging for as long as it takes.
“I don’t plan on being done with golf for a long time, unless my body gives out. But the way I’ve been treating my body the last few months I think I've gained a couple seasons. I feel like Tin Cup. I’m out here doing my own thing, a little nobody, no coaches, no sponsors, no nothing, just the fight in my heart and the desire to be successful.”
Iacobelli played full seasons on the LPGA in 2013 and 2016. In her first crack at the world’s best, she made just two cuts in 15 starts. In her latest chance, she made seven cuts in 19 starts.
This time around, she feels much better prepared.
“Back then (when she first came on Tour in 2012), my focus wasn’t as much on golf as it should have been, but I didn’t know anything – I didn’t even know you had to register for an event,” said Iacobelli. “Maybe I did it my way and I’m just a slow learner.”
Despite having now just one LPGA top 10 in 36 starts, she firmly believes that her best golf has yet to be played.
“There is no timeline in golf, it doesn’t know how old you are,” said Iacobelli. “Look at Juli Inkster, look at the guys, too. Fred Couples was playing well at The Masters. Look at Laura Davies in Phoenix.”
If you know Iacobelli, you know she thrives around people. She attributed a great deal of her success in Hawaii to the people she was surrounded by – her host family, her caddie Jacqueline Schram's host family and a cheering section that grew as the week went along.
“I feed off people, I’m a crowd pleaser and I love meeting people and being around people and I was so blown away at how many people were supporting me,” said Iacobelli. “My host family came out to watch three of the days, my host dad took off work to come watch, my caddie's host family came to watch and they were making us dinners every night. It had this family vibe and it felt like a Epson (Tour) event where I have a big following.”
At Epson Tour events that have been around for years, Iacobelli is a crowd favorite. She’s great with kids and loves to interact with sponsors and spectators. A volunteer scorer in Hawaii that requested Iacobelli’s group because he enjoyed watching her and interacting with her.
“The way I look at it, we have such a great opportunity to reach people and change lives and to inspire and to get girls involved in golf. I’m looking to change the game.”
Schram, Iacobelli’s caddy, told a story where two military guys were watching Iacobelli complete putting drills one day before the tournament started. Then, they followed her throughout the weekend.
“The connection that Daniela has with the crowds that come out is really big,” said Schram. “That is what can change golf.”
If she keeps up the top 10s, spectators and fans around the world will really enjoy getting to know Iacobelli. Even if the success doesn't continue, find her and say hi. You won't regret it.
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