Because I have covered at least a handful of PGA Tour events for the past nine years, I frequently get asked about my favorite golfers on the PGA Tour. The answer I usually give is that most of my favorites are somewhat obscure players, guys that are great to talk to, are humble, speak to you as if you're just one of the guys and they're just one of the guys, and are always accommodating to fans. One of the first names I mention is Rocco Mediate. He's not quite as obscure today, but the golf world got to see why I'll seek him out for a quote whenever I get the chance. He's always fun to have a conversation with, often says something outragious and funny, and is just about without exception willing to stop and talk. It's one of his favorite activities. I'll give you one of many examples. He was tied for the lead through eight holes in the final round of the 2006 Masters, but his chronically bad back gave out on the ninth hole and he hit three balls in the water on the par-3 12th en route to a 10. His comment after the round: ``It was amazing. It's the best 71 holes of golf I've ever played.'' Mediate also downplays his ability. He's won five times on tour, which is no slight accomplishment.
While I'm at it, I'll mention some of my other favorite players. You might be surprised, but I love Colin Montgomerie. I know, he seems like a sourpuss curmudgeon who is overly sensitive on the course _ especially in the U.S., where he's never won _ and often glares at spectators and plays with a frown. But hands down he's the funniest player in the world. And as long as you can get him to talk to you, you'll find yourself laughing at something he says.
Among the top players, Ernie Els has to be the nicest guy. The Big Easy is also easy to talk to and is always pleasant, even after his many disappointments in majors and the Verizon Heritage in Hilton Head, where he's come close on several occasions but never won. Tiger Woods often jokes with the media and fulfills all of his burdensome responsibilities gracefully, but he'll give the party line a lot more often than Phil Mickelson. Though it was tough to feel affection for Mickelson for many of his years on tour _ you always got the feeling you were seeing the facade of a person _ Phil has become a lot more enjoyable to speak to in recent years. Mainly because he says some outlandish stuff. For example, he said in May at the Wachovia Championship that he added an inch to the length of his putter because he has grown an inch through stretching exercises. How crazy is that. The man just turned 38 and claims he has grown an inch. You've got to love stuff like that. He's still accused of being fake by many, but I can tell you that he looks directly at spectators during tournaments, and no one on tour spends more time signing autographs. He signed for 30 minutes near the locker room at the Wachovia, writing his signature until there were no more spectators to sign for. If it is a front, at least he's putting the time in and giving people a legitimate reason to like him.
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