It’s not easy to become a U.S. Open legend without ever winning the tournament, but few would disagree that Rocco Mediate fits the bill.
While the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions veteran has put together a stellar career — featuring six wins on the PGA Tour and five more on the Senior Circuit — he will forever be known for the most high-profile loss of his career.
At the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, Mediate dueled with Tiger Woods at the height of his powers (albeit with a bum knee and fractured leg). At the end of 72 holes, Rocco and Woods were knotted at the top.
Since there are no draws in stroke-play golf, a playoff was necessary to determine the winner. At the time, the U.S. Open called for an 18-hole playoff. So the pair returned to Torrey Pines on Monday morning to play their fifth round of the week mano a mano.
Incredibly, after the 18-hole playoff was complete, Mediate and Woods were still tied, and it moved to a sudden-death format, which Tiger finished off on the very first hole for his 14th major championship win, and his last before his comeback victory at the 2019 Masters.
The playoff lives on in golf legend, but it will never happen again. In 2018, the U.S. Open ditched the 18-hole playoff in favor of a two-hole aggregate playoff.
Now a leading player on the PGA Tour Champions, Mediate won the Constellation Furyk & Friends in early October and is qualified for next week’s season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship.
But he still can’t get away from questions about that ’08 U.S. Open. Such was the case on Monday in Phoenix, at an event promoting next week’s tournament.
According to Golfweek, when the topic of the U.S. Open came up, Mediate had the extra holes at the forefront of his mind and offered up a hot take about major playoffs.
“The 18 hole playoffs are over. Which is ridiculous,” Mediate reportedly said. “Every major should be an 18-hole playoff. And if you tie, it should be 18 more. It’s a major. It’s not a normal event.”
The U.S. Open was the last major to feature the 18-hole playoff Mediate pines for. The PGA Championship requires a three-hole aggregate playoff. The Open Championship’s playoff is a four-hole aggregate.
The Masters originally sported a 36-hole playoff, then switched to an 18-hole playoff until 1976. Since then, the green jacket has been determined by sudden death, which particularly draws Mediate’s ire.
“Sudden death at Augusta National? What? The Masters, we’re just going to have one hole?” Mediate said.
And if he hadn’t been clear about meaning it, Mediate put a point on it.
“100 percent serious. 100 percent serious,” Mediate said. “‘Oh but TV’. I don’t care about TV. I want the trophy,”
The 2024 Charles Schwab Cup Championship gets underway Thursday, November 7, at Phoenix Country Club. Mediate will begin the week in 20th place in the 36-player field.
