The Captain is no doubt going to regret teaching me how to use the camera's video feature...

My older nephew is taking golf lessons. I'm sure this is how Tiger Woods got his start:



Speaking of the galaxy's greatest golfer, I got so busy at the Open I never posted details from my week as press conference moderator.

After two uneventful interviews the first day, I tackled 10 press conferences on Tuesday, including perhaps the most recognizable athlete in the world. After introducing myself, we had a few minutes for small talk prior to the start of the press conference.









To my surprise, I was nowhere near as nervous as I expected to be. Perhaps it was because I didn't have much time to think about it, or because things had gone well to that point, buiding my confidence. But after some quick introductory words, I turned the session over to the media, who took it from there.

The crowd in the room swelled to several hundred media members, which was quite a crowd...











I spent most of the 30-minute press conference calling on media members and listening to Tiger deftly and thoughtfully answer all questions. But my mind would wander every once in a while. I can't say exactly what I'm thinking here but I'm sure it was humorous or inappropriate...









(In that photo, if you enlarge it and look real close, you can see the burn mark next to my eye, the result of poor curling iron management. Super smooth, that's me.)

A few of my other favorites from that day...a young Irish standout named Rory McIlroy and Sergio Garcia, who was the only one of the golfers who pulled out my chair for me. Spanish gentlemen do know how to treat the ladies.

The following morning, Phil Mickelson came in for his press conference. Mickelson, always the object of great deal of media attention, was of even more interest than usual given the recent announcement that his wife has breast cancer. Knowing the interview was being aired live on SportsCenter, I found myself far more nervous than I had been for Tiger's press conference (although that one also aired live on ESPN and the Golf Channel).

My sister-in-law later reported that the crazies had assembled to watch the press conference live and were quite impressed to see me on television. My oldest nephew inquired as to "why does her voice sound so funny?" to which my sister-in-law replied, "she's probably really nervous." Indeed she was.



But that was uneventful as well and with the pre-championship press conferences out of the way shortly thereafter, it was finally time to play golf. Several incredibly rainy days ensued which really screwed with the schedule. I had limited opportunities to interview players after rounds but when I did, things went pretty well...

I didn't get to spend much time on the golf course. My friend Ellie and I snuck out for a little while Sunday, which gave our friend John the opportunity to capture this shot of the two of us giggling about lord knows what as Phil walked by...











And then, it was like time sped forward and things were over before I knew it. By and large, I really enjoyed it. I learned I am a better public speaker than I thought, and that I can speak live on television and be the center of attention in front of hundreds of people without passing out or vomiting. I only needed a handful of Tums throughout the week and was able to eat normally (although I did eat a very light breakfast the morning of Phil's press conference).

So I would welcome the opportunity to do it again next year, particularly given that the Open is at Pebble Beach. Golf courses don't get much nicer than that...