Without a doubt, the 2008 U.S. Open was one of the greatest golf tournaments I’ve ever had the pleasure to watch and it probably ranks somewhere solidly within the list of the most exciting ever played.
The storyline was almost surreal. Tiger Woods, probably the best player who ever lived, had come back after knee surgery, and as we found out later, was still seriously injured. He was stared down to the bitter end (and then some) by Rocco Mediate, a player often described with terms like “journeyman” and “everyman”.
It took 91 holes to decide the battle and, as we know, Tiger Woods came out victorious. Tiger needed to hole a knee-knocking putt on the 72nd hole to even get into a playoff with Mediate. The two then stayed neck and neck for an 18 hole playoff and Tiger finally won it on the first sudden-death hole where Rocco didn’t make the putt he needed to extend the playoff.
Tiger’s performance became more legendary after we learned the true nature of his injury. Throughout the week it was obvious he was hurting, but we didn’t find out until later that he had a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee as well as stress fractures in his leg.
That’s not to take anything away from Rocco Mediate. He gave Tiger a serious run. Though he was an underdog in the tournament – usually the entire field is when Tiger plays – he bested everyone else and nearly beat The Man himself to take home the prize.
The drama on Sunday that spilled into Monday swept the golfing world. It’s reported that trading was actually down on the New York Stock Exchange during the playoff.
The story was spectacular, but the story behind the story is compelling, as well. How did it all start for Rocco Mediate? What hurdles did he face on his way to that historic showdown?
“Are You Kidding Me?“, by Rocco Mediate and John Feinstein answers those questions and more.
No only does this book give a lot of detail about Rocco’s start in golf and his early career, it also gives a very detailed account of that U.S. Open week and the lead up to it, where Rocco had to play his way into the tournament through sectional qualifying. We learn more about his longstanding back problems and how he overcame them. We also learn how this brush with greatness affected Rocco as he moved on and found himself flush with new opportunities.
I still vividly recall the 2008 U.S. Open and I remember the knot I had in my stomach as it played out on Monday. I’m a huge fan of Tiger Woods and always like to see him win, but how could I not pull for Rocco to win? He seems like a great guy and the word is that he’s liked by everyone. It was a great underdog story with two guys that had to play through adversity to contend for the U.S. Open.
I found this book to be a thoroughly enjoyable recounting of how Rocco found himself in that moment and how the week played out. It is well written and quite a compelling story. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in learning Rocco’s back story or for anyone who would like to relive some of the magic of the 2008 U.S. Open from the perspective of one of the guys that made it happen.
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