Jun
16
2008

Could I Ask for Anything More?

Posted by Double Eagle in Miscellaneous

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This year’s U.S. Open championship is going to stick in my memory for a long time. Today was a great day to be a golf fan. My only regret is that I didn’t see it live (darn job). I must confess to having one eye on the leader board and on the constantly updating blogs throughout the day.

I’m not much for predictions, but I did say that I wouldn’t bet against Tiger Woods. The things he accomplishes are almost beyond belief.

An even better story this year was Rocco Mediate. I’m a big Tiger fan, and almost always root for him. There was one problem this week - Rocco is too easy to root for. Every comment you hear about him is positive. His attitude is great. He has fun on the course. He interacts with fans. He was the underdog, if there ever was one.

As Sunday’s round shaped up, I couldn’t help but get in Rocco’s corner. At 45 years old, he would have been the oldest player ever to win a U.S. Open. As it came down to the wire, it felt like a paper-thin lead. Tiger obviously showed why he’s the king of clutch play, with his putt on 18 to get into the playoff.

I have to admit believing that Rocco and Tiger going head to head today wouldn’t be pretty. I had anticipated Tiger applying a huge beating. I would be happy for him, but sad for Rocco, having been so close to winning, only to get destroyed in a playoff.

Except it didn’t happen that way.

Oh, he certainly appeared to be in trouble, being down by three strokes at one point. But he stayed calm and steady and eventually regained the lead. He showed a great competitive spirit. Many players would have wilted in that spotlight, especially down by three. Not Rocco.

We now know it wasn’t meant to be. Tiger was too much, but it took a sudden death hole to decide it and he did it on a bad knee.

I have to thank both players for such a memorable Open. Today, they showed what golf is all about - fierce competition, coupled with excellent sportsmanship. I’ve never seen a player so gracious in defeat as Rocco Mediate was today.

At first, I was a little sad that he lost, but given his positive attitude, I think he’s going to turn this experience around and make a resurgence on tour, at least for the near future. Unfortunately, his age is a factor, but he says his back is absolutely pain free. On top of that, he proved that he could stare down what will probably be the best player that ever lived. Maybe he’ll have a couple of decent years as he coasts toward the Champions Tour.

Congratulations to both of them.

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There are currently 8 responses to “Could I Ask for Anything More?”

  1. 1

    Patrick Everett said:

    I have to agree. This year’s U.S. Open is bound to go own as one of the greatest ever played. I knew Tiger was on a roll when I saw that incredible putt! And he was still at even par then and went to -1 on the way to claiming the lead in the round! But still, I have to applaud Rocco for a great show of sportsmanship and for challenging Tiger and keeping the game close ’til the end.

    Posted on June 17th, 2008 at 4:53 am

  2. 2

    Louis said:

    This 2008 U.S. Open have to be the finest hour of two great golfers. Tiger must be tough as steel, play 91 holes with injury knee and won by sudden death.

    Rocco, America’s new favor golfer is clearly given Tiger all he can handle. At age 45, he never won a major, he is not even in the top 100 of PGA. But this 2008 U.S. Open is Rocco Mediate’s finest hour. He played like its his last game on earth. Rocco shine like a supernova, brighter than billion suns of host galaxy. He nearly eclipsed the Tiger’s limlight. What a moment to chrish and remember.

    Posted on June 17th, 2008 at 2:57 pm

  3. 3

    Larry said:

    I did not get to see the match, but my father watched and said it was GREAT. He said that some of the shots Tiger managed to pull off were unbelievable. Would have been a great match to be at :)

    Posted on June 17th, 2008 at 9:07 pm

  4. 4

    Golf Tips For Beginners said:

    Yeah, I only got to see the highlights but even they were edge of your seat stuff. It is just a shame that Tiger now has to go in for a knee operation, and that we cant see him for the rest of the season. Nevertheless, it will be good to see a more open field for once.

    Posted on June 19th, 2008 at 4:52 am

  5. 5

    TP Golf Online said:

    Too bad you did not see the playoff live DE. You should have **cough cough** called in sick. Best US Open since 1999 or since 1982 that I remember watching.

    Both players hit clutch shots during the round. Rocco on the par 3 3rd and his birdie putt on 15. Tiger’s fairway bunker shot on 15 and of course the birdie to tie Rocco again on 18.

    Of course it amazing to know that Tiger was playing down the severity of his knee injury and finding out that he also had a stress fracture in his left leg also. Not sure if you want to say Tiger is dedicated or stubborn. It is still unreal watching a professional athlete suffer through pain and win a championship.

    Posted on June 20th, 2008 at 11:08 am

  6. 6

    Double Eagle said:

    I almost wish I did call in sick! ;)

    I got to watch a decent amount of it this week when it was replayed on The Golf Channel. Great stuff!

    Tiger never ceases to amaze me. It’s not like he played on a broken leg with a ruptured ACL because he’s trying to claw out a spot on Tour. He’s on top of the sport now, and will probably finish on top all time. If he had withdrawn, he would probably picked right back up next year and this would have been a distant memory. Instead, he really did play the tournament as if it was his last.

    Posted on June 20th, 2008 at 11:26 am

  7. 7

    Darian said:

    Playing injured is one thing but what impressed me mostly is the way the Tiger practically ignored his injury… never made even the slightest attempt to use it as an excuse and didn’t make any drama about it-he just went there and gave his best. Truly a remarkable effort from someone that has been on top for so long and has nothing to prove to anyone, you’d expect that his motivation would falter and that he simply withdraws from competition especially as that injury wasn’t naive in any way and could possibly endanger the rest of hid career.

    Posted on June 25th, 2008 at 9:53 am

  8. 8

    Andy Brown said:

    “Rocco is an easy guy to root for”

    Ha! That is possibly the best comment I have heard in a long time. Every bit of that statement is true. Rocco Mediate is that typical journeyman on tour who moves on from one pit stop to another making an honest living by playing by golf.

    A sportsperson who really does not fall in the glamour category and hence it is easier for us to see a bit of us in him. Also the kind of guy you know was more in awe of the “Great Tiger” instead of wishing to tear him apart. I guess that is where his similarity with us ordinary folks ends. Not many top level athletes could have played through 91 holes like he did almost beating the legend and making history.

    Even though he did not win, he sure did win over many new fans and he is not going to be that ordinary journeyman anymore. People will be following his progress, he will not be just another name on the leaderboard. People will search for his name on the top of the leaderboard trying to track the progress of the guy who almost managed to put his hands on a trophy which the wounded Tiger was desperately keen to pocket.

    Before the U.S. Open Rocco Mediate might have been the easy guy to root for but post Torrey Pines, one thing is for sure, he will definitely not be a bad bet to root for!

    Posted on June 30th, 2008 at 4:16 pm

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