Phil and the Fans at The Open

[Anthony Gray]

  Isn't it refreshing to see how Phil relates to the spectators? Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio?

  Anthony

[tlavin]

Phil has always been great with spectators.  He feeds off them.  Tiger, on the other hand, feeds the spectators.  He doesn't really interact in any meaningful way, he's just grinding along.  If he hits a great shot or holes a great putt, he will fire up the crowd at the same time that he's firing himself up.  This highlights one of the problems with the pro tour.  Too many of them are self-absorbed, ultra-focused grinder type players.  There aren't nearly as many smiles and laughs as there ought to be.  I know that everybody has to be themselves in order to succeed, but I'd like to see more happy go lucky types out there.

Final point here, the New York crowds are bound and determined to become part of the story.  If they become part of the story by siding with Phil and cheering him on and cheering him up during this stressful time, great.  It's just a sidebar story, but since it's in New York, it becomes this HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE deal.

[David Kelly]

  Isn't it refreshing to see how Phil relates to the spectators? Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio?

  Anthony

Joe DiMaggio? He couldn't be bothered to even acknowledge the fans.

[Anthony Gray]

  Isn't it refreshing to see how Phil relates to the spectators? Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio?

  Anthony

Joe DiMaggio? He couldn't be bothered to even acknowledge the fans.

  Where have you gone Lee Trevino?

   Anthony

[David Kelly]

  Isn't it refreshing to see how Phil relates to the spectators? Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio?

  Anthony

Joe DiMaggio? He couldn't be bothered to even acknowledge the fans.

  Where have you gone Lee Trevino?

   Anthony

There you go.

[Cliff Hamm]

Having watched Trevino at a few majors I came to the conclusion that he was all smiles when the camera was on.  When off not so much.  I actually found Fuzzy Zoeller to be more naturally affable with the crowd at least.

[Phil McDade]

Mickelson was signing autographs out on the course after playing 29 holes today.

[Niall C]

Having watched Trevino at a few majors I came to the conclusion that he was all smiles when the camera was on.  When off not so much.  I actually found Fuzzy Zoeller to be more naturally affable with the crowd at least.

Cliff

I've no doubt there were moments on the golf course when Trevino had his game face on and that may or may not have been when the cameras were on him. I will say this though, the first Open I went to as a kid was Carnoustie in 1975, when my dad took myself and my brothers on the practice day. Trevino was playing down the 6th, Hogans Alley, and had a crowd of about a hundred people walking down the fairway with him as he gave them a walking talking golf lesson. I was about a hundred yards away and starting running over to get his autograph. Trevino saw me, stopped and waited for me while still giving his chat to the crowd, happily signed my autograph book, and then carried on. You've no idea how much that simple act made me feel. Since then I've been a huge fan of his.

I should also say I got Trevino's autograph on a skip cap after one of the rounds in 77 Open at Turnberry. He spent about half an hour signing autographs and chatting to fans after coming out the scorers tent. I'm pretty certain that in both instances there wasn't a TV camera in sight.

Niall

[Cliff Hamm]

Niall...nice story.  For any of us not associated with the media or tour obviously our sample size is small.  It is possible that my observations were not generally accurate.  Just what I observed on a few occassions.  Anyway glad that Mr. Trevino treated you so well.  I will ditto that is too bad that more of the pros don't acknowledge the fans more.  Unfortunately, this is true in all sports.