Rocco Mediate won the 2024 Constellation Furyk & Friends event in early October.
Sam Greenwood/Getty Images
It’s not easy to be a US Open legend without winning a tournament, but few would argue that Rocco Mediate fits the bill.
Although the veteran PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions has put together an impressive career – including six wins on the PGA Tour and five more on the Senior Circuit – he will always be known for the highest loss of his career.
In the 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines, Community faced Tiger Woods at the height of his powers (albeit with a blown knee and broken leg). At the end of 72 holes, Rocco and Woods are tied at the top.
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Since there is no draw in stroke-play golf, a playoff was required to determine the winner. At that time, the US Open called for an 18-hole playoff. So the couple returned to Torrey Pines on Monday morning to play their fifth round of the week mano a mano.
Surprisingly, after the completion of the 18-hole playoff, Mediate and Woods were there still tied, and moved to sudden death, which Tiger finished with the first hole to win his 14th major tournament, and the last one before his victory at the 2019 Masters.
The playoff continues in golf legend, but it won’t happen again. In 2018, the US Open dropped the 18-hole playoff in favor of a two-hole playoff.
Now the top ranked player on the PGA Tour Champions, Mediate won the Constellation Furyk & Friends in early October and qualified for the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup.
But he still can’t escape questions about that ’08 US Open. That was the case on Monday in Phoenix, at an event to promote next week’s tournament.
In accordance with Golfweekwhen the topic of the US Open came up, the Mediator had more holes in the front of his mind and gave a heated take on the big playoffs.
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“The 18 playoffs are over. Which is ridiculous,” Mediate reportedly said. “All majors should be an 18-hole playoff. And if you tie, it should be 18 more. It’s a big thing. It is not an ordinary event.”
The US Open was the last major to feature an 18-hole Mediate pines playoff. The PGA Championship requires a three-hole playoff. The Open Championship playoff is a four-hole aggregate.
The Masters originally featured a 36-hole playoff, then switched to an 18-hole playoff until 1976. Since then, the green jacket has been cut off by a sudden death, much to the wrath of the Mediate.
“Sudden death at Augusta National? What? Gentlemen, we’re only going to have one hole?” Said the Mediator.
And if he wasn’t clear what he meant, the Mediator put a point on it.
“100 percent serious. 100% serious,” said Mediate. “’Oh but the TV’. I don’t care about TV. I want the trophy,”
The 2024 Charles Schwab Cup tournament will begin on Thursday, November 7, at the Phoenix Country Club. Medium will start the week in 20th place in a field of 36 players.
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