This fall I’ve been working on a One on One featuring Tina Mickelson. Yes, big sister to international golf star Phil Mickelson and Tim, the golf coach at USD. It debuts November 18th @ 6:30 before the live USD basketball game on Channel 4 San Diego.
I interviewed her parents at the home where the kids grew up, and it seemed like a natural to interview her brothers, too. Phil doesn’t do many TV interviews away from tournaments, especially local. But, with their schedules and my schedule, even if they said yes, how would we get it done? Tina was a gem. She picked a day that would in theory work for us all; the day Tim was returning from a golf trip and a few days before Phil was heading to China. And just before I took a little vacation, she confirmed that they said yes and they’d be there at 4pm on the 28th to play a hole and sit down with me. So, I had vacation and something to look forward to.
Tuesday, the crew and I arrived at The Santaluz Golf Club in plenty of time to set up in their library… not for a One on ONE, but a One on THREE! Tina arrived early at 3:30 and said she’d been reminding her brothers with text messages, but you still never know. Sure enough, at 3:55 they came walking up in their golf attire just as nice and friendly as could be. Phil’s first questions to me: “so what’s this about? What’s this for?” I said it was for my show featuring Tina… and her story and the brothers are part of her story. Great… let’s do it.
For as many famous baseball and football players I’ve met, Phil rates as a pretty big deal considering his international stature. After only seeing him on TV playing with the likes of Tiger Woods, I admit, I might have seemed calm on the outside, but my heart palpitated a little bit. This was a pretty cool thing – to know that this came about first because I wanted to feature Tina (who I think is a remarkable woman,) and secondly, because we’d be able to showcase the whole Mickelson family.
Tina, Phil and Tim walked the course. My associate producer Michelle, intern Casey, and I drove the carts while photographers Dan Roper, Michael Spaulding and Paul Gugliotti followed them along to capture their conversations and get great shots. After Phil hit his ball some ridiculously long distance, I shared that Tina had given me a lesson and I hit a ball 70 yards! Tina said I did well. Phil laughed saying, “she was just being nice.” Well, we all have to start somewhere.
At the end of the hole, I wanted to take a picture of them and noticed how teeny-tiny Tina is next to her brothers. Phil, again, was witty and teasing me with “oh, you got to pull out the fat jokes, huh?” Of course not! It’s just interesting how three siblings can look so different. Short, tall, broad, small -- yet all swing a mean club. Wow.
We spent a total of an hour and 20 minutes with them between the course and a 30-minute sit-down interview. The first time ever that the three of them had been interviewed together. They were funny, cordial, sincere, reflective and professional. Tina said Phil’s never sat that long for an interview and she is very appreciative of that. And so am I. Thanks to Tina and the whole Mickelson family. I think you’ll enjoy getting to know them, too.
I interviewed her parents at the home where the kids grew up, and it seemed like a natural to interview her brothers, too. Phil doesn’t do many TV interviews away from tournaments, especially local. But, with their schedules and my schedule, even if they said yes, how would we get it done? Tina was a gem. She picked a day that would in theory work for us all; the day Tim was returning from a golf trip and a few days before Phil was heading to China. And just before I took a little vacation, she confirmed that they said yes and they’d be there at 4pm on the 28th to play a hole and sit down with me. So, I had vacation and something to look forward to.
Tuesday, the crew and I arrived at The Santaluz Golf Club in plenty of time to set up in their library… not for a One on ONE, but a One on THREE! Tina arrived early at 3:30 and said she’d been reminding her brothers with text messages, but you still never know. Sure enough, at 3:55 they came walking up in their golf attire just as nice and friendly as could be. Phil’s first questions to me: “so what’s this about? What’s this for?” I said it was for my show featuring Tina… and her story and the brothers are part of her story. Great… let’s do it.
For as many famous baseball and football players I’ve met, Phil rates as a pretty big deal considering his international stature. After only seeing him on TV playing with the likes of Tiger Woods, I admit, I might have seemed calm on the outside, but my heart palpitated a little bit. This was a pretty cool thing – to know that this came about first because I wanted to feature Tina (who I think is a remarkable woman,) and secondly, because we’d be able to showcase the whole Mickelson family.
Tina, Phil and Tim walked the course. My associate producer Michelle, intern Casey, and I drove the carts while photographers Dan Roper, Michael Spaulding and Paul Gugliotti followed them along to capture their conversations and get great shots. After Phil hit his ball some ridiculously long distance, I shared that Tina had given me a lesson and I hit a ball 70 yards! Tina said I did well. Phil laughed saying, “she was just being nice.” Well, we all have to start somewhere.
At the end of the hole, I wanted to take a picture of them and noticed how teeny-tiny Tina is next to her brothers. Phil, again, was witty and teasing me with “oh, you got to pull out the fat jokes, huh?” Of course not! It’s just interesting how three siblings can look so different. Short, tall, broad, small -- yet all swing a mean club. Wow.
We spent a total of an hour and 20 minutes with them between the course and a 30-minute sit-down interview. The first time ever that the three of them had been interviewed together. They were funny, cordial, sincere, reflective and professional. Tina said Phil’s never sat that long for an interview and she is very appreciative of that. And so am I. Thanks to Tina and the whole Mickelson family. I think you’ll enjoy getting to know them, too.
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