Emilia Migliaccio Q&A: Wake Forest star talks pulling double duty at Augusta National

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Emilia Migliaccio’s trio of birdies to finish her second round at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur were quite consequential. Not only did the three circles secure her a Saturday tee time at Augusta National, they also assured that she’d be the busiest person in town this weekend.

Migliaccio’s duties this week aren’t just limited to golf. She’ll also spend her time preparing for a broadcasting role with the Golf Channel for Sunday’s Drive, Chip & Putt finals. Such is life for golf’s media darling.

Ahead of her busy weekend, GOLF.com sat down with Migliaccio to discuss her Augusta National double duty.

Zephyr Melton: Word is that you’ll be pretty busy this weekend?

Emilia Migliaccio: Yes I will! I’ll be hard at work on Sunday.

ZM: How busy are you going to be Saturday night?

EM: I will be pretty busy! But I’m so excited for the practice round at Augusta, and then we have the night at Berckman’s Place. And then Saturday we’ve got the final round, and then we’ll all be celebrating afterwards. Then I’ll have to go pack up from one hotel and move to another. And then go work in the morning from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. And then I co-host a podcast for Bridgestone Golf, and we will be recording that afternoon, so I might be doing that once the broadcast ends.

ZM: How do you even begin to juggle everything?

EM: Honestly, I don’t even know (laughs). My family is organized on a whole other level. So I’ve just always been around people that are good at structure and planning. I think just taking it task-by-task and embracing being busy. I love to tackle multiple things at once and be a part of many different projects. So it works out well for my personality.

ZM: How difficult is it to juggle the pressures of playing and the preparations for working on the broadcast?

EM: Well, I did a lot of prep work last week. I read all the player bios and then I condensed all of those bios. I need to go print them out tonight, actually (laughs). I kind of prepped in advance. But while I’m playing in the ANWA, I’m not really thinking about Drive, Chip & Putt. Luckily, I don’t need to study a course or anything. It’d be different if I were working a whole other tournament on a different course. I also did it last year, so I feel pretty comfortable with how everything is working. I’m really excited for it all, though.

ZM: What’s it like going from competition mode to broadcast mode?

EM: I have been really enjoying playing, and I will always enjoy playing, but I love that broadcasting is going to be my main form of work. I just get happy when I see players that I know do well. Players that we’ve followed and told the stories of their journeys. I can separate them into two equal boxes, and I equally enjoy both of them.

ZM: What’s the key for being successful in both?

EM: Being a good observer, I would say. Broadcasting actually helped me in golf with my course management and my maturity inside the ropes when I see how the best players in the world handle themselves. But being a good observer in broadcasting is kind of the main thing. And now I’m so immersed in the golf world. I’m not a golf nerd by nature, but I am getting there. It helps when people I cover in golf are people that I know and play with, so that makes it a little bit easier.

ZM: Not to make you feel old, but you’re a bit of a veteran out here at this point in your career. What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to the younger players?

EM: I would tell them that the hard work is worth it. Golf is a hard sport. It’s all on your own and you can’t rely on anyone but yourself, and it’s tough. But it’s worth it. I’d tell them to keep going through the frustrating days because you’ll live some of the best highs of your life. Especially on weeks like these.