Eye Of The Tiger

I'll be the first to admit that Tiger Woods has done more for the game of golf than probably any other athlete in history, but watching yesterday's U.S. Open Playoff round, I couldn't help but chear for Rocco Mediate.

I'm not a Tiger fan. Never have been, and probably, never will be. Of course, coming from a city like Seattle that hasn't won a major championship since 1979 when the Sonics defeated Philadelphia in the NBA Finals, I tend to root for the underdawg. Tiger has already won his fair share of championships. Coming into the weekend, he had 13 major championships under his belt including two U.S. Open titles. But that seems to never be good enough for Tiger, which is a testament to a true champion.

Unless you're a golf fanatic, chances are, you probably never had heard of Rocco Mediate before this past weekend. Mediate wasn't even ranked in the top 150 golfers of the world. You have to go back to 2002's Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic to find the last tournament Mediate has won since joining the PGA Tour back in 1985. He entered this past weekend's U.S. Open tournament as a 45-year-old 'nobody' with back problems. But after four rounds, he held everyone's attention.

But Tiger Woods never seems to fade in major tournaments. The guy is bulletproof on a golf course. You just can't bring him down. Heading into the final 18th hole on Sunday, Woods needed a birdie to tie Rocco and force a playoff. On Saturday, Tiger had worked his usual magic, and produced an eagle on the 18th. Sunday, all he needed was a birdie.

The 18th hole along Torrey Pines' South Course measures 571 yards, and is considered to be a par 5 for professionals. Woods only needed 4, rimming in a 12 foot putt on his final shot to set up an 18 hole playoff with Rocco on Monday.

Mediate fell behind early, dropping to a 3 shot deficit through 10 holes, but he followed with three straight birdies to pull even with Tiger, and eventually took the lead heading into the final hole of their playoff. But once again, Woods was up to the challenge, needing a birdie on the par 5, 18th. Meanwhile, Rocco set himself up again with a chance to win it, a makeable 20 foot birdie putt on the 18th, but Mediate failed to close out the tournament, hooking his shot to the right and around the cup. That allowed Tiger to once again seize the moment, and eventually another major tournament, defeating Rocco on the 19th hole by one shot.

One major theme heading into this past weekend's U.S. Open was Tiger's return following his third knee surgery, which he underwent just several days after the Masters Tournament last April. Woods hadn't even walked a full 18-hole course leading up to Thursday's opening round, but it didn't seem to affect Tiger's game all that much. Woods expressed frustration and even showed glimpses of pain throughout the five rounds, but in the end, the result was the same.

When Tiger turned pro in 1996 at the age of 20 years old, golf was in desperate need of a new hero, one that could recapture the magic that Jack Nicklaus had delivered for so many years. And Tiger did not disappoint. With this weekend's win, he's now just four major victories away from tying Nicklaus with the most by any player in history. But Woods did it with a surgically repaired knee, one that wasn't even ready to get back on the greens. And despite one of his least impressive performances, Tiger still beat the field, even on one leg.

Golf needed a hero, and Tiger delivered. But Woods is no longer a fan favorite. The 'underdawg' has taken over. On Monday, "Rocco" chants thundered over Tiger's applause. More people were pulling for Mediate, rather than for Woods. But they didn't get their wish. Is Tiger just that good? Or is the rest of the field that bad? We may never know. But for golf to continue to grow, it must find a worthy challenger to Tiger. One that can defeat him on a continual basis, even when Woods is at full strength.