Today's playoff between Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate was the best golf I've ever seen. The interplay between the two was riveting. Rocco bogey-ed the 1st and it didn't look good, Tiger seemed poised to grab the lead early and sit on it. But Rocco just missed an ace on the third while Tiger buried his drive in the sand (when was the last time you saw a guy shoot 3 times in a row?) and the lead was wrested back for a while. When Tiger birdy-ed 6 and 7 and Rocco bogey-ed 9 and 10, I figured that was it. Tiger was settling into a groove as Rocco struggled and it looked like a 3 stroke lead going into a back nine that Tiger has destroyed all weekend long would be more than enough for another major for Tiger.
Amazingly, Rocco bested Tiger on 11, 12 and 15 and was one up with 3 holes remaining. I didn't see that coming. I'm not some crazy Tiger guy but I never doubt the dude, when he looks ready to win, he does. Lately he hasn't been peaking in the majors and has lost out to the likes of Angel Cabrera, Zach Johnson and Trevor Immelman. Coming in I figured Tiger would finish it off but I gave Mediate a puncher's chance--you never know, in golf one bad strike can be devastating. But when Tiger pulled ahead on the turn, it looked like he'd be leaving Rocco behind the way Big Brown dusted the field in the Derby (remember back when Big Brown was an exciting up-and-comer?). Tiger always wins and that's fine but its better when he gets pushed, when he has to rise above the chaff.
Tiger had 18 in his back pocket all week and surely that's where he intended to make his stand. Rocco drove into the fairway bunker and had to lay up while Tiger was free to go long ball. Tiger finished the job--and put it on Rocco to sink the final ball--and it was on to sudden death. I assumed they'd start back at 1, which would've given Rocco a decent shot at a quick victory as Tiger butchered the 1st all week. Then I thought I heard the announcer say they'd be starting at 17, with Tiger's favorite hole (#18) just up ahead. Instead they played 7. It was over quick, though, Rocco shanked his drive, then shanked the recovery into a drop shot. That was ball game. It would've required a vandeveldian effort from Tiger to blow that gift and indeed Tiger just missed a dagger-like birdie.
For the previous 3 days Tiger routinely winced after his drives, clearly now completely healed from recent knee surgery. Today he largely looked comfortable and healthy. His driver was better today than he'd looked so far and his putter was hot and cold. Rocco Mediate played the round of his life today and good for him, I wish he'd pulled it out. Still he played his best and put on a great show and that's all right with me. (Check it out: Calaway golf (ELY), Mediate's sponsor, saw its fortunes rise and fall with Rocco's putter)
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