Who will seize the championship in this year's Masters is still unknown, but if Joslyn James' ensemble at the Pink Pony this weekend is any indication, she's already a winner.
James, a former adult film star and golf great Tiger Woods' alleged "Mistress No. 11," wore an eerily familiar green blazer when she took the stage for her debut performance late Thursday at the Atlanta strip club on Buford Highway. James, whose real name is Veronica Daniels, is capitalizing on her 15 minutes of fame as one of Woods' supposed paramours, arriving in Atlanta to take it off while Tiger is teeing off just a few hours away.
During an interview in her Buckhead hotel room Friday, the auburn-haired dancer wore a simple button-down shirt with black slacks and talked about her hopes for the show and how the public views her.
"I'm always a little bit cautious, because I don't know people's opinions of me, though I know they may be negative, of course ... but I've been getting half and half. Some people hate my guts and other people have been really great," said James, 32. "I'm hoping people can learn from my experiences. There are lots of people who aren't faithful. I hope my story will help [other mistresses] get out before it goes awry. Nothing good can come from it."
Except, maybe, momentum for a headlining tour. Thursday's performance marked James' return to the stage after several years away, kicking off a multi-city tour that includes Charlotte, Dallas, Memphis and more, she said.
But one city not on tap? Augusta.
"I'm in Atlanta. Atlanta is me. Tiger is Augusta," James said.
Jack Pepper, vice president of marketing for Gilardi South Enterprises, which owns the Pink Pony and other clubs, said the club booked James after an agency contacted him with news it was signing the little birdie who tweets and talks about supposed sex-texts from Tiger.
Pepper urged that she be ready to bump-and-run by Masters week, he said.
"We really didn't care how well she danced or performed," Pepper said. "It really was the novelty of the Masters and Tiger being in the area. It seemed like a natural fit."
Thursday night's crowd was larger and a more mixed group than usual, said cocktail waitress Bridgette Dominguez. The Pink Pony's weekday clientele typically consists of businessmen, but by the time James took the floor near midnight, dancing to a remix of Carly Simon's "You're So Vain," a crowd of enthusiastic young men and women, couples, retirees and military personnel had collected by the stage to see what Tiger (maybe) saw in James.
They were also treated to something Tiger didn't see: the results of cosmetic surgery James had a month ago, she said. But if the flying dollar bills were any indication, she was up to Pink Pony par.
Dominguez said with the national exposure James’ appearance is receiving, the staff expects huge crowds for her twice-nightly shows Friday and Saturday.
But for James, the goal is simply to have fun and "make people smile," she said. She also hopes people recognize that despite her salacious image, she isn't so different from the rest.
"I have feelings. I feel hurt. I feel happiness. I fall in love and out of love," she said. "I'm a woman and I'm human. I'm just like everybody else."
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