SHUHEI MATSUO
Assistant Online Editor
Did you guys see Tiger Woods’ press conference on SportsCenter yesterday? If you did, did you see me in the back corner? Yep, I was there. How? Well, I was at the Buick Invitational until Wednesday as a reporter from Golf Digest, a company that I interned for this past summer.
I was down in San Diego earlier this week because my editor from Golf Digest gave me an assignment to talk to some of the guys on the PGA Tour. Yeah, it was an enjoyable experience for the most part, seeing the world’s best golfers like Tiger and Phil Mickelson only a few feet away, but I also realized that some of these pros are nothing like you see them on TV. Getting an interview with them can be tough.
I love talking to Pepperdine athletes and coaches because most of them are happy to talk to the Graphic reporters. In the past three years of covering Pepperdine athletics, I can think of only one Wave, who turned down my face-to-face interview request. It was a former Wave on the women’s cross country team. I remember her telling me she really didn’t want to be in the Graphic because she was once misquoted.
This week, though, some of the PGA Tour golfers avoided me like the plague. I guess representing the No.-1 golf publication in the world doesn’t mean much to these guys. Yeah, that’s the way to get good publicity, gents.
Take Vijay Singh.
The former world’s No. 1 is very picky about whom he talks to. Apparently, he could be as funny as Jay Leno and will treat you as gentle as James Bond, if you are on his “I-like-these-people” list. But if you are not, he could be as evil as Miranda from “The Devil Wears Prada.”
I was looking for Vijay and saw him giving a kiss on a pretty young woman’s cheek and chatting with her by the practice putting greens. So I figured he was in a good mood and stood 15 feet behind him, waiting for him to turn around. And then this guy, who seemed to know Vijay pretty well, cut in front of me and began talking to him.
OK, now it’s my turn. I went up to him, briefly introduced myself and asked him if I could talk to him for a couple of minutes, very politely. I even called him “Mr. Singh.”
“No, I’ve got to go now,” he said, without even looking at me.
Dude, you just spent the last five minutes of your time talking about non-golf related stuff!
“Please, it’ll take just one minute. I promise,” I begged.
“No, no no.”
“Can I come back and talk to you tomorrow then?”
No reply.
He wasn’t the only one who turned me down. Charles Howell III told me that I could talk to him “after I’m done with practice” when there was nothing to do but chat with his caddy because the range was already packed. Thanks, Charles. Remember the time I gave you my support at the Nissan Open last year? Looks like you have become such a big, untouchable name after that victory.
OK, I’m making it sound like these guys are all difficult, but many of them are actually very warmhearted, like Jason Gore. The former Wave loves his school so much that if you mention Pepperdine, he’ll look at you with the broadest smile.
Here is how I got his attention:
“Jason, a reporter from Pepperdine’s Graphic.”
He suddenly looks at me with a smile on his face.
“Actually I’m here with Golf Digest today, but do you have a couple of minutes to answer a few questions?”
“Listen, I really have to go see my therapist right now, but if you come up to the range at 12:30, you can talk to me as much as you want.”
As promised, he showed up for me and we talked for a solid few minutes. He even thanked me for waiting to interview him. I wonder where he got his good ethics and etiquette? Did he take Communication Ethics?
I told you I love Pepperdine athletes.
01-24-2008
