By Scott Taylor | @Taylor_Sports
With Phil Mickelson leading at the halfway point of The Open championship, I thought I would rehash a meeting I had with him as a spectator at the 2000 Western Open at Cog Hill.
I was 15 years old and it was the first of what would be many golf tournaments I would attend. Back in those days Mickelson was not nearly as popular as he is now, although he was one of the top players on the tour. Chicago las always been a Tiger Woods town, so he had the majority of the gallery.
That allowed me to follow Mickelson and Nick Price throughout the round, getting to see every shot. It was a Friday and they started on the back nine, meaning their final hole was the ninth, which is much less crowded than the 18th.
After the round there was a group of people waiting to get his autograph. I was at the end of the line. While he was about to reach me, a reporter (yes those terrible people) started asking him questions about the upcoming British Open as he had yet to win a major tournament.
That is when Phil stopped the reporter and said, “Can’t you see I’m in the middle of something?” He stopped, signed my program and said, “Here you go, kid.”
While very basic and simple, that interaction is one that I have and will always remember. So many people claim he is a phony and isn’t the way he seems when he is on the course, smiling and thanking his fans. Well, that isn’t the case. He could have brushed me off and talked to reporters or signed quickly and went off and nobody would have thought differently. Instead, he took his time and made me feel important.
Now, I’m not saying he is perfect by any means. The way he trashed Cog Hill years later, leading the tournament to change locations, was very disappointing. He obviously treats the press differently than his fans. But, the fans are what should matter most to all professional athletes. They wouldn’t make nearly the money they do if not for the fans. Phil understood that and he had a fan in me forever for the way he treated me that day. Meanwhile, Tiger Woods would rarely sign any autographs after the round, which is why I was always a Phil guy.
Let this be a lesson for all the high school and college athletes who look to make it big. Always make time for your fans. You don’t know how much it means to them.