Here's a picture I took right after my interview with Mika Miyazato came to a close yesterday morning at Locust Hill's media tent. The rain was drumming overhead, thunder was rumbling around us, and some of Japanese media waiting out the storm saw an opportunity to ask Mikan questions of their own. Or maybe her agent, Kie Ito, in the back right there had arranged for all her interviews to take place at the same time. All I know is that they came fashionably late, perhaps realizing that they had originally scheduled the interview at the exact same time Michelle Wie's press conference was to take place.
If I had been smart, I would've asked the journalists' permission to tape their interviews and find out from the Full Metal Archivist how the pros do it (I have a lot to learn!). In any case, I had a great time interviewing Mikan and had unexpected fun when the reporters noticed my hat (which reads "Island Person" in Japanese and is obviously from Okinawa) and found out that the FMA is from Chiba (I believe both guys in the foreground are also from there) and her sister and her family lives in Okinawa. If I can get an electronic copy of the photos they shot of us together, I'll either post them or destroy them. I had issues with my sunscreen that morning. 'Nuff said.
By the way, as an alternate in the Tuesday pro-am, Mikan had been on the course since at the latest 6:30 am and had been working on her putting, chipping, and ball-striking for most of the morning until the rains (and her scheduled interview[s]) drove her off the driving range. True, she hadn't been out on the course, so she probably wasn't as tired as fellow rookie Amanda Blumenherst, who played both pro-ams, but even Mikan's example shows that anyone who thinks the life of a pro golfer is only about the golf has another think coming. More on Mikan when I finish my profile of Mina Harigae and her.
[Update 1 (8:32 pm): Here are a couple of posts from Christina Kim that give you a pretty good sense of what her week's been like so far.]
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