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2008 U.S. Open
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 1:28: ROCCO... doesn't make it. Oh man. Tiger Woods makes par to win the U.S. Open. OH MAN! That was by far the most exciting golf tournament I have ever witnessed. What do you think?
1:27: It looked so good, but it comes up short. Tiger's birdie bid was on line, but it came up inches short. He fell to his knees in shock.
1:25: Rocco chipped up past the hole and has 20 feet for par. Not looking good, but Tiger still has to execute.
1:24: With 156 yards to the stick, Tiger hits it below the hole and is within birdie range, about 20 feet away.
Rocco, who has to take a drop, jokingly picked his ball up from the grandstand and acted like he was going to throw it toward the green. It's simply amazing he can maintain such a jovial attitude in what is seemingly such a pressure-packed situation.
1:19: Uh-oh, Rocco. Mediate pulled his fairway bunker shot way left near the grandstand and will have to grind hard to make par.
1:16: Rocco has certainly put himself behind the 8-ball, hooking his tee shot on the seventh into the left fairway bunker. He hit a remarkable shot from that same bunker on Saturday to save par, but we'll see if he can do it again.
Tiger creamed his drive, just as he did earlier today, and is in excellent position to attack the flag.
1:14: Woods and Mediate have reached the seventh tee and are ready to play the 91st hole of the 2008 United States Open Championship.
Tiger birdied this hole earlier today.
1:07: PAR FOR ROCCO. CAN YOU SAY SUDDEN DEATH??
Both golfers shoot even-par 71.
We will go to the seventh hole for the first hole of sudden death. The next two holes in the rotation will be No. 8 and No. 18.
1:07: BIRDIE FOR TIGER. TIED.
"Tiger's done it again," says Johnny Miller. Indeed.
1:04: Rocco runs his birdie bid by a similar length as Woods. Uh-oh.
1:02: Tiger runs his eagle attempt about four feet past. Far from a gimme birdie.
12:58: IT'S ALL COME DOWN TO THIS... From 123 yards, Rocco Mediate hit it below the hole to about 16 feet for birdie, and Tiger Woods has a long eagle putt. He is one down and needs to make at least birdie to keep himself alive.
12:55: Rocco lays up on the right-hand side of the fairway.
Tiger has 217 to the hole. He hits a high cut that lands safely on the center of the green for an eagle putt that looks like it's about 60 feet away. Back to you, Rocco.
12:53: Tiger Woods found the 18th fairway despite grimacing in pain after his swing, and Rocco Mediate drove it into the left bunker, which guarantees a lay up.
NBC Sports golf analyst Johnny Miller hit it on the head, "When [Tiger] has to hit it, he does it." I'm still laughing from Miller's remark about Rocco looking more like a guy better suited to clean Tiger's pool than beat him to win a U.S. Open.
12:49: I just had a feeling Tiger was going to make his birdie putt, but his effort came up short. That could simply be an indication that this isn't his day. Or, he could be saving his best for the 18th hole, which, I will say again, is very, very reachable in two so long as one finds the short grass.
And oh by the way, Rocco is in for par. He leads by one on the 18th, where he failed to make a red number yesterday to win the championship outright. Of course, Tiger forced a playoff thanks to a dramatic birdie.
12:42: Rocco hits it to the front of the green. His birdie attempt will be over 40 feet. A two-putt ensures he has at least a share of the lead heading to the reachable par-5 18th.
12:41: The deliberation continued longer than it had on any other approach shot all day for Woods. The execution turned out OK, as the ball landed about 15 feet past the hole and stuck.
12:39: With 162 yards to the hole, Tiger takes a moment to consult Steve Williams for a club selection as the wind starts to swirl a bit more than it has all day. Looks like the weather forecast was right.
12:34: Using a 3-wood on 17, Tiger makes a solid swing and twirls his club confidently after connection. He had hit only one of the last six fairways before striping that one. Rocco hit it into the first cut of rough on the right. Stay tuned for what's certain to be high drama for the next 20 minutes.
12:31: Woods was certainly thinking two-putt at worst, and he still almost managed to make it. The ball was two revolutions short of a birdie and another intense celebration. Not to be.
Rocco even, Tiger +1.
12:30: Mediate lags it up beautifully to tap-in range. Tiger should be thinking of two-putting for par just to keep pace, since he's saved most of his heroics this week for the 17th and 18th.
12:28: Tiger pulls 4-iron on 16 and trickles it up to front edge of the green, while Rocco is on fringe short and has decided to putt.
I wonder what's going on in Tiger's head right now: most notably, how in the heck can he lose to a 45-year-old on a track he's won at six times as a professional? That's certainly a noodle scratcher.
12:22: Tiger makes par. Rocco is even par at 16, and Tiger is +1.
With all due respect to Francis Ouimet and Jack Fleck, Rocco Mediate would be the most unlikely champion in the 108-year history of the U.S. Open simply because Tiger Woods wasn't alive when each of them pulled an upset playoff victory.
12:19: Tiger misses his birdie. And runs it by past tap-in range. Hmmmm.
12:18: Should have saved that wow... Rocco makes birdie to take the lead! And in typical Mediate fashion, he looks up in disbelief after he makes it. You go, Rocco.
12:15: WOW, WOW, WOW (yes, that's WOW part 3).
Tiger gives a mighty swing from the fairway bunker and puts it inside Rocco. I would say I'm surprised, but I'm not. Are you?
12:13: Rocco, Rocco! Mediate hits it to about 18 feet on the 15th green, and Tiger hit his drive so far right that it ended up in a fairway bunker for the ninth hole. You heard right.
12:10: Rocco sneaks a driver into the fairway on 15, while Tiger’s driver is poked way right and goes into where the galleries have trampled the ground down. Like I said, if Woods is your horse, make sure you have an ample supply of Tums or Mylanta – or perhaps you may even need Zantac.
12:04: Tiger misses the birdie attempt on 14. We are officially tied with four holes to play.
Get the popcorn popping if you're a Rocco fan, and if you're pulling for Eldrick, make sure you have some Tums handy. It's going to be a heart-wrenching finish!
12:01: I realized I don’t have to keep saying update. Right? Tiger chips up to about five feet, and Rocco snuggles it up to about a foot and makes birdie to tie Woods at the moment at +1. The pressure turns back to Tiger if he wants to maintain his lead.
UPDATE (11:57): Rocco goes for the 269-yard 14th, hitting a 3-wood just short of the green and within birdie range.
Numero uno, who laid up on this hole yesterday with a short iron, changed his strategy and hit a 5-wood today, ending up in almost the same spot as Mediate. I have to admit, I wasn’t the biggest fan of the USGA’s decision to convert this hole from a 435-yard test to one that is reachable from under 270 yards. That hole was fine and exciting as is; but in a situation like this, the new length certainly adds a high amount of drama. Just as has been the case with other elements of senior director of rules and competitions Mike Davis’ setup decisions for the ’08 Open, it turned to gold. Bravo, Mr. Davis. You’ve all but ensured Torrey Pines will host another national championship. UPDATE (11:53): Tiger hits the beefy 614-yard 13th in two, leaves his eagle putt short and makes birdie to get back to +1 for the playoff. Rocco comes up short in a bunker but hits a classy shot to get in with a 4. The lead stays the same, but now it's Rocco at +2 and Tiger at +1. Stay tuned for the drama on the driveable par-4 14th!
UPDATE (11:39): Six holes left, and David’s slingshot is still clearly in the crosshairs of Goliath (and just in case you’re wondering, Rocco Mediate would be David).
After chipping up to about 18 feet on No. 12, Woods deliberately stalked his par attempt but failed to convert, making his second-straight bogey. On the other hand, Rocco ran his makeable birdie attempt about three feet by the hole and made par. Woods +2, Rocco +3. Let me reiterate: I am sticking by my prediction of Tiger at 70 and Rocco at 73. Please see the 9:15 update for verification.
UPDATE (11:30): Tiger continues to give his buddy some openings to make something happen. Woods hit it in a fairway bunker on No. 12 – the fourth time in five holes he’s found the beach (and no, that’s not Black’s Beach) – and hit it well short on his approach. Rocco hit a solid shot from over 240 yards away and is in position to at least make par. But will he take advantage? He needed only 26 putts in yesterday's final round but has yet to show any magic with the putter today.
UPDATE (11:28): Sorry for the brief absence. This is still a job, and that means I still need to break for lunch like the rest of
Anyway, there’s still a golf tournament going on, so let me briefly fill you in on what’s going on with seven holes remaining: Tiger pars nine and 10 thanks to clutch work around the greens (he zoomed about a 20-footer on 10 into the sidedoor), Mediate has failed to capitalize, three-putting on 9 and making bogey on 10. Rocco could have easily picked up a few shots on Woods in that stretch, but he didn’t. Luckily for him, Woods couldn’t get up-and-in from a greenside bunker on the 11th and fell back to +1. Rocco is +3. This will be fun. UPDATE (10:48): Tiger makes a slick downhill putt to save bogey on the eighth, while Rocco makes par. Tiger definitely took some anger out on his drive on the par-5 ninth.
UPDATE (10:40): Tiger flies his bunker shot over the green and will have to chip-in for par. So much for being on fire!
UPDATE (10:37): The eighth hole is playing 171 yards, and with the greens as firm as they are, I’m not sure why Tiger Woods hit a 7-iron. He landed his ball on the back of the green and it skipped into the back bunker, while Rocco hit his approach short. In terms of percentages, Mediate probably has a higher probability of getting up-and-down, but odds go out the door when Tiger’s in the conversation.
UPDATE (10:31): Numero uno is officially on fire.
Tiger's in a groove with his full swing and his flatstick, as he just made his second birdie in a row on No. 7 to move to 1-under on the day and two shots ahead of Mediate.
Rocco better make a birdie, if not on the tricky par-3 eighth, then at least on the par-5 ninth.
UPDATE (10:28): I don't know about you, but the last few swings Tiger has made look like some of the best he's made all week. Rocco better stay close, because if Woods starts making putts, this could be over fast. It's still only a one-shot lead, though.
UPDATE (10:25): After a solid drive, Tiger makes birdie on No. 6, while Rocco manages to get up-and-down to stay within striking distance. Tiger is at even, Rocco remains +1.
UPDATE (10:08): Tiger splits the fairway with another pure drive on the sixth hole and sticks his tongue out afterwards a la Michael Jordan. He’s done that before this week. If any athlete on earth has earned a license for such mimicry, it’s definitely Eldrick.
UPDATE (10:05): Despite an exceptional recovery pitch, Mediate hits his par putt just short for a bogey. But what could have been a two-shot swing was not to be, as Woods ran his birdie attempt by and settled for par. We’re knotted up again for the first time since, well, the end of regulation. +1.
UPDATE (10:00): WOW part 2 (there will probably be many more).
Rocco’s approach from the fairway bunker is pulled way left, and it bounces twice on the cart path to an area that no player has likely hit from all week. But he rights the ship, chipping from a trampled down area to about 15 feet and will have a chance to make par. Tiger is comfortably on the green, pin high, within 20 feet for birdie. Did I mention I smelled a two-shot swing?
UPDATE (9:51): Rocco hits it way right on five, while Tiger creams it down the middle. I smell another two-shot swing.
UPDATE (9:48): Disaster averted for Tiger, as a pulled drive and miscalculated approach into the rough short of the left greenside bunker were nullified thanks to an exquisite pitch to within a couple feet. He made the putt for par to stay within one of Rocco, who hit a solid approach onto the green and two-putted. Onward.
UPDATE (9:39): Woods and Mediate both hit it left on the par-4 fourth. The action is fast and furious, with both players not taking much time in-between shots and not talking much to each other. Even though these guys are buddies, that's not so surprising since Woods is more focused than anyone in situations like this. After all, he's 10-1 in playoffs as a professional.
UPDATE (9:37): Nothing like a nice two-shot swing to make the day a little more interesting.
On the third, Woods couldn’t get up-and-down out of a horrific plugged lie in the bunker, and Mediate made his short putt. The roles have reversed: Rocco is at even, Tiger is at +1. This year has already seen one of the biggest sports upsets ever when the New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. Could today bring an even more unlikely result? We’ll see.
UPDATE (9:30): WOW.
Tiger Woods hit his tee shot on the 188-yard par-3 third into the front bunker, into a plugged lie on the face. Rocco Mediate hit it pure, almost acing the picturesque test and hitting to within inches for what seems an easy birdie to get back to even... and maybe the lead.
UPDATE (9:28): The second hole, which has played as one of the easiest par 4s of the week, was a bit of a grind today.
Woods hit his drive left and hit his approach short, but managed to make a solid seven-footer for his second par of the day. Mediate went right off the tee and also hit short, leaving himself a three-footer that he also drained for par. After two holes, the score remains Tiger even, Rocco +1. I’m sticking to my prediction. It will be interesting to see how the players handle tougher holes like the fourth, sixth, seventh this morning since winds are expected to kick up to between five and 10 mph by 10 a.m.
UPDATE (9:15): Through one hole, there's already blood on the scorecard: Tiger Woods made his first par of the week on the first hole, while Rocco Mediate couldn't make a five-footer to save par and is 1-over on the day.
I know it's a little late, but I wanted to go on record with my prediction for the day... Tiger will shoot 70, and Rocco will shoot 73. What do you guys think?
UPDATE (9:05): The men of the moment have just teed off.
Tiger Woods finally managed to find the first fairway, pushing his drive slightly right but getting a favorable kick away from the fairway bunker. He was so excited he raised his arms up in a mock celebration, even emitting a grin in the process. Looks like he won’t be making his fourth double bogey of the week on the opening par 4. Before I go any further, let’s check out where some of the notable tees will be on the South Course today: 3rd hole: The tees are back to 188 yards, whereas in yesterday’s final round they were a puny 137 yards. 11th hole: It’s only 192 yards, the shortest distance of the week. No matter how long this par 3 plays, it will be tough because of a severely-sloped green that is well guarded by deep bunkers. 13th hole: After maxing out the tee box at 614 yards in the final round, the USGA has once again decided to move it up to 539 yards, a distance it played on Thursday and Saturday. I guess they want to see some chances for eagles. 14th hole: As was the case yesterday, this will be a driveable par 4 measuring 269 yards, two yards longer than Sunday. Woods laid up yesterday, and it will be interesting to see what he does here today depending on the tenor of the match. 16th hole: The shorter, diagonal tee has been scrapped in favor of the normal, straight-away position. It’s beefy at 225 yards. 18th hole: Once again, eagle will be a distinct possibility for both players, as the finishing par 5 is only 525 yards. UPDATE (8:50): It's 8:50 on a sunny Monday morning in Southern California, an absolutely perfect setting for the first 18-hole playoff in the U.S. Open since 2001, when Retief Goosen defeated Mark Brooks at Southern Hills.
Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate have been warming up and seem ready to go. Mediate is even wearing red to match his counterpart.
Woods seems to be walking a bit gingerly this morning, as he has all week, so it's clear his left knee remains a question mark for another round of walking the lengthy South Course.
Check back here for up-to-the-minute reports throughout the day! Have fun following this momentous occasion, and feel free to chime in below.
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