FanHouse

Notes from on site at the Shell Houston Open:


"You wouldn't happen to have a jet pack, by any chance?"

That's the question Phil Mickelson asked when he saw the impossibly long line of people gathered to get autographs from him after Tuesday's pro-am round. (at :07 in the video)

The crowds on Tuesdays are usually fairly light relative to the weekends and most golfers were able to easily leave the 18th hole. When you watch on TV, and even with this video, you don't have a sense of the crushing group of people trying to get Phil's attention to sign autographs.

It was an ordeal getting him off the course. First, he signed autographs for his pro-am partners. Then tournament officials chatted with him for about 5 minutes talking about how they were going to get him through the rope line to talk to the media.

After he slowly went through the rope line signing autographs, instead of going to the media center, he did an open air interview in a media scrum that was pressing uncomfortably close to him and each other. Here is my viewpoint of the media orgy press conference:



(I was not a part of the media horde as I was shorter than everyone else. And well, I'm not writing any AP kinds of stories so it wasn't like I was going to get any cogent quotes. And more centrally to the point, it is gross to be smushed up against 15-20 photogs and assorted media guys, I don't care who they are interviewing. No offense, media dudes, but that had to be smelly and repulsive in every respect. Ew.)

The hordes of people around Mickelson on the rope line and the media session made me feel panicky for him just watching it. I don't know how the high profile golfers do it.

Then he went to the media center, and was requested to do a promo for an event in August. He politely asked if he could postpone it, but they really wanted him to do it then. So he memorized a script, and did the promo, and kept goofing up the takes. He's played a round of golf, there's about 20 people milling about, and he is doing a blooper real of outtakes.

Finally he finishes that, and some more journalists want to get more interviews from him. He declines, explaining that he is just tapped. Finally, he gets on a cart and rides away.

I know that some folks believe that Phil Mickelson's public persona is a little phony, but I have to say I was impressed with how cordial and professional he was in dealing with people screaming at him.

Tuesday's conventional media story of the Shell Houston Open is how much Phil Mickelson and others are complementary about the condition of the course, and how it sets up for a Masters prep for next week.

(By the way, here's a "hi" to Gary, the boy who got the autographed glove from Phil in the video. Hope you like the video memento, my friend).