Kids say courtesy is the best way to score autographs at the Memorial Tournament

As Spanish golfer Jon Rahm walked up to hole No. 10's tee box Wednesday morning at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, a woman shouted from the crowd: "Hey Jon! Can we get some autographs?"

Rahm's caddie Adam Hayes emerged from behind a small crowd of players and officials to tell the woman and other onlookers that Rahm wouldn't be signing any autographs until he finished the 18th hole.

It's to be expected that such a gathering of professional athletes would entice fans to ask for an autograph.

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But that woman's approach? That just isn't proper autograph etiquette, said 11-year-old Hudson Maher.

"You have to be polite," he said.

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Maher – along with his 9-year-old brother, Camden, and buddies Alex and Hudson Daniels, both 11 – consider themselves autograph experts at the Memorial Tournament, which kicked off Monday with practice rounds and included the Golden Bear Pro-Am on Wednesday.

The boys, all of Dublin, have been to the tournament at least five times each. Their goal each year is simple: Get as many signatures as possible from the biggest names at the tournament, even if they're from other sports.

"The big goal is Super Bowlers and Major Leaguers," Alex said to Camden as they patiently waited at hole No. 18 for former Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald; former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Steve Young; and the three Manning brothers — former Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton, former New York Giants quarterback Eli, and television personality Cooper — played in the Pro-Am.

Each of the boys held a yellow pin flag stapled to a piece of cardboard covered in autographs. The flags, purchased at the Memorial golf shop for $29, are popular at the tournament for autograph seekers, said Emma Clark, a cashier at the shop.

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Clark said the number of flags sold at the shop over the past few days was too many to even guess. The shop also sells white dimpled bouncy balls meant to look like giant golf balls that also are popular among kids seeking autographs, as well as hats, shirts, and Sharpies.

Last year, because of COVID-19, players signed golf balls and tossed them to the kids instead.

As of Wednesday morning, Hudson Maher had the most signatures so far in the group with 32 (not including the dozen or so on his hat,) followed closely behind by Hudson Daniels with 31 and Alex with 30. Camden only had four as of Wednesday morning, but that was because he wasn't out with the other boys Tuesday on the course, so they had a head start.

It's more about quality over quantity anyway, Camden said. Especially since he was able to snag the signature of Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning after he finished hole No. 2.

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It's uncommon for most pro golfers to sign autographs in the middle of their rounds, the kids said. They've had the most luck darting between the ninth and 18th holes as players finish their rounds. Some, like Fitzgerald, told the boys he would come back to autograph their flags when they were completely done with the Pro-Am.

At the top of the boy's list for autographs Wednesday, aside from the NFL alumni, were pro golfers Rahm and Rickie Fowler and Ayesha Curry, actress, entrepreneur and wife of Golden State Warriors point guard Steph Curry.

Ayesha Curry is not participating in the Pro-Am but is attending the Memorial; the Currys' nonprofit Eat. Learn. Play., which helps children and families, is receiving a portion of the proceeds from the tournament. (Alex, a huge Warriors fan, wishes Steph was playing in the Pro-Am but understands his absence given that his team still is in the NBA playoffs.)

'Say 'please' and say 'good luck out there today'

Autograph etiquette is all about being kind and courteous, Alex said.

"Say 'please' and say 'good luck out there today,'" he said.

The process is a bit of a dance. When a player finishes their round, they usually walk over to a tent to get their picture taken. Some sign autographs on the way, while others, if they're feeling up to it, do it after pictures.

It's a small window on that walk to line up along the ropes and make your case for a quick autograph. But these boys are strategists. They know who they want autographs from, when they're finishing and if they're likely to sign their flags.

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Also waiting at the 18th hole was Bryan Yarwick and his 9-year-old son, Jaxon.

The Yarwicks, of Hilliard, had been at the course since about 7 a.m. and Jaxon already had scored nine autographs a couple of hours later. He plans to frame the pin flag after the tournament to memorialize his first Memorial Tournament.

The list of their ideal signatures is "long but distinguished," Yarwick said. "But we'll take whoever is nice enough to sign."

Jaxon waited near a scrum of other kids for the next round of golfers to finish their turns. He turned to his dad.

"What do I ask?" Jaxon said.

"Just say, 'Please can you sign this?'" Yarwick instructed. "No 'Can you?! Can you?!' Remember your manners and say 'Good luck this weekend.'"

It's really that simple.

Sheridan Hendrix is a higher education reporter at the Columbus Dispatch. You can reach her at shendrix@dispatch.com. You can follow her on Twitter at @sheridan120. Sign up for her Mobile Newsroom newsletter here and her education newsletter here.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Memorial Tournament autograph seekers succeed with politeness