This past weekend marked my favorite workweek of the year, the American Century Championship. I look forward to it the same way a kid looks forward to Christmas. I have a complicated history with golf. I don’t know who half of the celebrities are, but my goodness, do I love every moment of covering that epic event. 

There are many reasons why I like working at the celebrity golf tournament. There are the celebrities, of course. From professional athletes of all sports, to comedians, musicians and actors, there is someone for everyone. For me, there are the few that I have minor crushes on (looking at you, Miles Teller) or people I’ve grown up watching, like Ray Romano. I’m not immune to the celebrity charm. For the media, we get to go under the ropes and get much closer. Even though we’re not supposed to interact with them while they’re playing, it’s still fun to get to know them a little through the camera lens. 

I also love watching the celebrities bring joy to the spectators. I saw Rob Riggle joking with fans, Anthony Anderson causing a holdup because he was taking too many pictures with people, and, of course, Charles Barkley is one of the kindest people on the course. There are so many happy kids (and kids at heart) getting signatures from their sports heroes. 

But it’s not just the celebrities that make the event fun; it’s the work itself that is fun. Working in a small town newspaper, we don’t get a lot of opportunities to work in a real media room. The lights and the cameras, the rows and rows of tables filled with other members of the media on deadline and the camaraderie. There’s stress, but there’s also laughing and bonding. Much like the celebrities, there are the same members of the media who come back year-after-year so the media room is like a reunion. While I have no interest in working for a big network, I do enjoy the opportunity to soak up the action each year. 

My favorite day to work is Sunday. Yes, Friday and Saturday tend to be more crowded and more rowdy; I live for the drama of Sunday. To follow the leaders and feel the tension. Each good shot is that much more exciting, and each miss is that much more painful. And to be on the 18th green when the winner is crowned, to see the winner’s emotion up close and personal, there is nothing much like it. 

Yes, this weekend is hard work. There are early mornings and long days. I’m usually a little sunburnt and dehydrated, and my brain usually doesn’t work the following Monday. But I love the American Century Championship, and I’m also sad when it’s over.