Acquiring an autograph from one of the megastars in the American Century
Championship can be a frustrating experience.

As spectators often learn, not all of the stars sign.

For more information, see the official Web site: TahoeCelebrityGolf.com

Of course, most of them do, graciously, giving up their personal time to satisfy an unassuming child or an angling adult’s keepsake requests.

Fans sometimes follow a celebrity nine to 18 holes with hopes of capturing that signature when the star is through playing. But there are no guarantees that a celebrity will put pen to paper after a five-hour round of golf.

They like to relax and eat lunch like anyone else, and they have other interests
away from the golf course.

Autograph seekers in an informal survey tabbed Marshall Faulk, a former All-Pro running for the St. Louis Rams, among the favorites. Faulk does sign
— sometimes. He admitted that he sometimes isn’t in the mood to give fans what they want.

“It depends on how I feel,” he said. “If you have a bad day and you drive home, you might not speak to your neighbor. If you have a good day, you speak to your neighbor.”

Tournament rules forbid spectators from bringing sports memorabilia into Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course. Autograph requests are limited to celebrities signing the tournament program, pairings guides, hats and shirts.

“It’s become too big of a profession,” said tournament director Mike Milthorpe. “A lot of them will take advantage of their signatures and sell them. Everything changed when (ebay.com) came out.”

During the 2000 tournament a sports memorabilia scammer contracted kids from his motor home in the parking lot to get items signed. Fans have also been known to stash and retrieve their memorabilia to avoid the main-gate checkpoints. But Milthorpe said security personnel is on the lookout for such scams and they have the authority to ban a fan from the premises.

“I know some guys still sneak baseballs and all that stuff in here, but most
of the people get a program and are really polite, saying 'please’ and 'thank you,’ and you don’t see that all around the country,” said former major league pitcher Rick Rhoden.

Creativity can enhance a autograph seeker’s chance of realizing a signature. Take Michael Gingrich of Gardnerville for instance. Gingrich wore green knickers, a white shirt and a green hat in honor of the late Bobby Jones.

“I’ve gotten a lot of good comments from the golfers, and even Marshall signed this year,” Gingrich said.

Fans should be reminded that the celebrities are instructed not to sign autographs during play once the tournament starts. They may sign before and after their rounds. Also, use of cameras and cell phones is prohibited during the 54-hole championship.