Sign of the times: Golfers find an autograph frenzy

Most fans are friendly and most professional golfers are flattered.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
VIENNA -- A few days ago, Laura Diaz was at the driving range at Squaw Creek Country Club when a middle-aged man came up to her wearing a T-shirt that read "Devoted to Diaz."
He wanted an autograph. Diaz was happy to oblige.
"That was interesting, wasn't it?" Diaz recalled on Thursday, laughing. "But hey, the fans make things fun. They're the reason we can do what we do.
"I don't mind signing."
Usually, anyway. Then there are other times ...
"Sometimes you've had an especially hard day on the golf course and you haven't played very well and someone comes up and jams a piece of paper in your face," she said. "It's a little hard to keep a smile."
Friendly relationship
Welcome to the world of autographs, where most fans are friendly and most professional golfers are flattered. (At least at first.) "Probably the first autograph I ever signed came at a U.S. Open before I got my tour card," Diaz said.
Did the person know you?
"No, I wasn't anybody," she said, laughing. "But I was a pro athlete."
When Michelle McGann first came on tour, she was worried that no one would ever want her autograph.
"I used to run to my father and say, 'Dad, why doesn't anybody ever ask me to sign?' " she said. "And he'd tell me that one day I'll be signing so many I'll want to run away."
He was right. Within seconds after leaving the putting green on Thursday, McGann was mobbed by fans wanting her to sign programs, shirts, golf balls and whatever else they had in their hands.
One of them, Al Ciminero, has turned autograph-seeking into an art. The Champion native said he has more than 800 autographs, including Michael Jordan, Jim Brown and Dan Marino.
And he gets them in person.
"I don't like to buy them," he said. "Obviously, at things like this, you'd like to get Annika Sorenstam, but she's not here. So I just try to get whoever I can. It doesn't matter if they're a big name or a rookie.
"Three years ago, a rookie [Dorothy Delasin] won this tournament, so I might have this year's winner already. You never know."
Blend of fans
Tammie Green -- who has signed around eight gazillion autographs in her career -- said most people are very polite and gracious. But they can be a little greedy, too.
"But I've had people come up to me and ask for my hat, my visor, my shoes, my gloves, my shirt," she said. "I've given people hats and balls, but I usually draw the line after that."
Green has even signed a guy's chest.
"And I was thinking: Well, OK, but it's going to come off," she said.
Of course, some people forget to show the proper etiquette. They won't even ask Green for her autograph, they'll just put a piece of paper in front of her face.
"And I'll be like, 'Do you want an autograph?' " she said. "Sometimes it's just because they're shy, like if they're a kid or something."
But sometimes, they're just jerks. Of course, Green isn't going to say that some fans are jerks. So I'll say it. Some fans are jerks.
" 'Please' and 'thank you' are always good things to say," Diaz said. "Most fans are really polite and that's when it's fun for us. I love to bring a smile to someone's face."
Sometimes the players aren't in the mood to sign. Maybe they have to get to their tee time. Maybe they're trying to practice. Maybe they're just shy.
But sometimes they love it.
"And if they're not asking for your autograph, you're in trouble," said Dottie Pepper. "The coolest thing now is having my own [trading] card out. I never thought I'd see the day when golfers had their own cards."
Gulbis' calendar
Natalie Gulbis not only has her own card, she has her own endorsement deal with Upper Deck. She was also signing copies of her 2005 calendar (they're $10 each) on Thursday. Not surprisingly, most of the fans in line were men. (And yes, Ciminero was one of them.)
"One of the great things about golf is that there's not as many barriers," McGann said. "Fans can come right up to you outside the ropes and talk to you. And obviously, if signing something can make them happy, that makes you feel good."
Of course, there are limits.
"When you see someone bring up five things, you know it's probably a collector," Green said. "I'll usually just sign one or two and move on."
During the course of their career, most LPGA golfers probably won't have to sign as many autographs as, say, a pro baseball player. But they'll sign plenty. And as Pepper has learned, baseball players do have one advantage.
"I will say this," she said, "it's a lot easier to sign a baseball than a golf ball."
scalzo@vindy.com