It was another scorching hot day, that didn’t help much for my already sunburned skin. However, it was a gorgious day for any golfer and was a perfect backdrop to the kick off to the RBC Canadian Open Championships, Mike Weir’s Charity Classic.
The event features a round of golf with PGA players, amateur players, and celebrity players, all raising funds for the Mike Weir Foundation, which is dedicated to “advancing the physical, emotional, and educational welfare of children in need.” It’s a great cause, and you can tell the players are all having fun throughout the day.
The highlight of the day for many people I’m sure, is when they got to meet likely one of the most popular celebrity of the day, Samuel L. Jackson. When I first saw him today, he wasn’t as big and stalky as I had imagined him to be. In fact, he was of regular stature, dressed in bright, bright orange with an even brighter orange hat by Urban Golf Wear. He was actually quite pleasant to talk to as he answered all the questions from the media, including questions on what he’ll be eating that night.
On the grounds, he was all about golf and the kids. After driving the ball, as he walked from shot to shot and from hole to hole, he would frequently stop to sign autographs for all the people lined up. If it’s for the kids, he signed anything they brought him, as he shooed off an adult jokingly saying, “you’re not his size,” pointing to the kid that just approached him. I didn’t ask for his autograph, but I did get to shake his hand, as I greeted him onto the 11th hold. It was a firm handshake, for the record.
He was happy to be here and it showed. I overheard some people say that he has to do all of this as he’s paid to come here. But truthfully, this guy actually likes to golf. People know this, and it shows when he plays. So why wouldn’t you be a happy camper when someone pays you to do something you like to do?
Over the course of the day, I photographed celebrities to the likes of Samuel, L. Jackson, Kevin Dillon, Jon Montgomery, Damon Allen, and Erik Estrada (of Chip fame), and PGA professionals Mike Weir, Stephen Aimes, Luke Donald, Camilo Villegas, Sean O’Hair, and Paul Casey. Supposedly present but missing in action in front of my lens were Anthony Kim, Retief Goosen and Fred Couples. I would have loved to see them all, but couldn’t find them on the course. I used to watch all of these players on TV over several years since my dad was a frequent golf watcher. So naturally, it’s great to be able to see them play live.
Perhaps the MIAs will show up during the RBC Open championships later this week. Perhaps.
