Hooray for Rocco
You know how some people, after a sporting event, say something about there being no losers. It’s mostly nonsense.
But this U.S. Open was an exception. Tiger Woods won his 14th major title. Rocco Mediate won the heart of every golf fan in America. This was golf at its best, from the wild Saturday to the dramatic Sunday to the two-man showdown Monday. Rocco vs. Tiger, which sounds like a welterweight championship bout from 1957 but instead was the best U.S. Open playoff in memory.
The 18-hole playoff is resoundingly ripped every time the U.S. Open goes past 72 holes, but what a blessing it was Monday. More drama, more heroics, excellent golf and one more chance for Rocco Mediate to stroll in the spotlight that has eluded him for an entire career.
I can’t remember Rocco contending for a major. Before this week, I couldn’t have picked him out of a Girls Scout troop even if he was the only one not selling cookies. But for the last three days, while Johnny Miller kept telling us no way Rocco could win, Rocco played superb golf and did it with an attitude and a personality rarely found on the elite links. Rocco knew he was walking in tall cotton and decided to have fun with it.
When Rocco approached the 18th green on Saturday, he asked NBC’s Roger Maltbie if he had a shot at a final-pairing spot with Tiger. No, he was told. Lee Westwood and Tiger played in the final pairing Sunday, and Westwood played well, he just finished a stroke back of Tiger and Rocco. But the final final pairing did go to Rocco, on Monday, and boy, did he revel in it.
Rocco shot even-par 70, matching Tiger shot for shot, and even had a lead going into the 18th hole. And Rocco didn’t blow it. Tiger birdied the 18th to forge a 91st hole. This was Rocco’s finest hour, but not his last. Be it on the PGA Tour for the next five years or the senior tour when Rocco turns 50, his popularity will soar. He could be the next Chi Chi Rodriguez, a fan favorite who connects with the common man. I expect to see Rocco on Leno or Letterman this week, and he will be a charmer.
Here’s how big Rocco was this week. He has replaced Tiger’s knee as the sidekick to Tiger’s 14th major title. Rocco Mediate was a big winner at Torrey Pines. Not the biggest, perhaps, but big. If Rocco had won the U.S. Open, his life would have been changed. It is changed anyway.
Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel.
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