Anyone feel the same way after today?

[Ruari]

or was his ponderously slow play , constant club changing and wind checking gamesmanship ?

I'll give Tiger the benefit of the doubt, here. I don't think it was gamesmanship - I believe he was genuinely rattled and unsure.

[blurry]

I think when Rocco looks back on this he will have few regrets over 90 holes of golf he held argueably the greatest player of all time to a draw not bad for a 45 year old. He did not leave anything out there, at 3 down he was a good as dead but staged a magnificent fight back . When it looked like he would take another shot off Tiger only to see Tiger hit possibly the finest 5 iron bunker shot of all time inside his ball did he crumble , no he sank a 15 foot downhill breaker .....pure class. All of this he did with a smile and a laugh that man has more to be proud about this morning than if he won or lost that playoff and he has something that winning would not have given him and thats an immense character.

I totally agree, I watched a replay of the playoff when i got home from work, and I just felt that he'd put the skids on,,, I dont like it, but he knew what he had to do, I think tiger is the best golfer ever but I always want the other bloke to win

[tm22721]

One thing for sure we are blessed to have witnessed a wondrous five days.

Nobody will forget Rocco Mediate, or this US Open. It joins the rarefied air of 'The Back Nine At Cherry Hills'.

[iacas]

Rocco's had a great career and he's a great person. He's won almost $15M in his career. But, should journeyman players win majors? No. It weakens the game.

Rocco Mediate winning would make some golf fans feel good, but that feeling would fade quickly. Tiger Woods winning is probably better for the game of golf. I agree with what's said above. Rocco's made a great career and earned a lot of money playing golf.

How great was it for golf - and who really cared - when Michael Campbell won? Angel Cabrera? Even Jim Furyk would have been a better victor in 2007, and not just because he's American. History is littered with one-time major champions. Rocco played well and will always be remembered for battling to the end. He'll always be seen and mentioned in the Tiger highlight reel. That reel gets a lot more play than the Tiger lowlight reel, so heck, he might get more airtime out of losing than he would have out of winning. As for his personal feelings, his personal wishes and dreams, them's the breaks. He lost by one stroke. I was rooting for good golf, not Tiger and not Rocco, but good golf. I was rooting for something historic to happen. It all did. Rocco lost. I'm sure there are hundreds of other stories, perhaps even some better than Rocco's, but they didn't play well enough to win, and in the end, neither did Rocco. I've never been the type to want someone to win simply because of their "story." Heck, again, Angel Cabrera is a great "story," but pffft. I've met Rocco. I've enjoyed talking with him in the past. He's a great guy, and truly genuine. But in the end, again, I just wanted to see great golf. Rocco knows how close he was, and it will be hard on him to deal with this loss, but I hope it spurs him on. In the end, I got what I wanted out of all of this: great golf. I rambled a bit there, and I probably still didn't explain my true feelings. I honestly didn't care who won. The practical side of me was probably rooting for Tiger because golf doesn't like "everymen" winning majors. The "fan" side of me was rooting for great golf, which I got in spades. I too felt for Rocco in the end, but bad? I don't know about that one. The guy had a pretty amazing week. He's done something nobody else has ever done - make Tiger do something... SEVERAL TIMES.

I wish Tiger had made that birdie putt on the sudden-death hole; it stinks that such a great championship ended with a bogey.

I was disappointed in that as well.

[beisenhauer]

I love Tiger. I love watching him do what he does. But I was rooting for Rocco all the way. That said, I don't feel sorry for Rocco. There are a lot of guys who have gone up against Tiger and lost: Chris DiMarco, Bob May, etc. Few, if any, have made as good an accounting of themselves as Rocco did this week. He went toe-to-toe for 90 holes with quite possibly the best ever to play the game. He was unlucky in that sudden death started on a hole that didn't suit his game, and he made one bad swing and one less-than-perfect swing in his attempt to recover. That's all. I think once he gets over the initial disappointment, he'll be able to hold his head up pretty high.

[immts007]

Isnt that the idea of "The Open" ... anyone that can qualify has the chance... thats what makes this tournament so special to alot of people. Just ask Bobby Collins.

Or Francis Oiumet.

[ERC7.5]

How great was it for golf - and who really cared - when Michael Campbell won? Angel Cabrera? Even Jim Furyk would have been a better victor in 2007, and not just because he's American.

Well put!

We were given something great with the show that was put on. After it was all decided, as much as it would have been a nice "warm" moment to see Rocco win, the legacy of the 108th US Open will be longer lasting and possibly be seen as a great moment in golf history (providing Tiger makes it to/past 18 majors ) Instant Classic!! From this article on ESPN .com : "I want Tiger to win," said one of the businessmen who had stood nearby, "but I don't want Rocco to lose." That's how pure the U.S. Open was. You rooted for the underdog and the big dog. You rooted for the guy wearing red, which just happened to be both Woods and Mediate. You rooted for the prodigy going after his 14th career major (and 12th since 2000), and for a middle-aged Open qualifier thisclose to his first-ever biggie.

[xamilo]

I just think seeing him stand and fight against the biggest name in golf's history is admirable, and his attitude towards it made him be the tournament's player. It's a shame he didn't won, but he still was much more than anybody else in that field.

Those are the moments you really understand why is it worth it to stand four days of golf, because those moments are priceless...

[mikelz]

I had to bold the words that made the least sense to me:

Rocco's had a great career and he's a great

Journeyman? Please. Rocco was an quick success on tour, his back went bad and his back never got "good" again until recently. He's well known and well liked. That's doesn't sound like "journeyman". Cliff Kresge maybe but not Rocco.

No. It weakens the game. It says that anyone who gets can put together a great week can win a major.

How in the hell does that weaken the game? That's the U.S. Open's calling card. How does it hurt when someone plays way beyond expectations? That only encourages me.

Watching Todd Hamilton back into the Open Championship was miserable to watch. He's a great guy, too. But, he shouldn't be a major champion.

He won the thing. He deserved it. There's no room for "should" in many of my discussions. It's a pointless word even when you are talking to your kids. IMHO, I should have been a U.S. Senator or a porn star but it didn't happen that way. (Orville Moody, Scott Simpson and Andy North shouldn't have won either?)

So, I'm glad Tiger won.

Thanks for that. He should have won because he did.

[Big_M]

Your post used to say whoever got lucky, but you changed it.

Did you really just say that? Wow.

I agree with all of these statements... whoever plays the BEST deserves to win... period.

I was rooting for Rocco because I have always liked him... still I was not really rooting against Tiger either as he is making history and both are compelling stories. I would have loved to see Rocco fulfill his dream, maybe he can put it together one more time (a long shot, but...), but either way he played some great golf. Erik is right in that he just might get more TV airtime in the long run for losing, but if you ask him, I think the title of US Open Champion would have made him happier. Still there is no doubt that he has now earned a small part in history even if it is only for the man who pushed Tiger to the limit at the 2008 US Open. All in all it was a great week of golf.

[JonnyGolf]

Winning a playoff over Ernie Els at the height of his game (2004, when he had 5 victories around the world and finish in the top 9 of all 4 majors) isn't exactly backing into the Open. Perhaps you're thinking of 2003 Open champion Ben Curtis, who finished steadily as the field collapsed around him.

You're right. It was Ben Curtis. I didn't realize that Hamilton had continued to perform at that level.

[JonnyGolf]

Or Francis Oiumet.

* 1913 U.S. Open, Massachusetts State Amateur

* 1914 U.S. Amateur, Massachusetts State Amateur, French Open Amateur * 1915 Massachusetts State Amateur * 1916 French Open[1] * 1917 Western Amateur * 1919 Massachusetts State Amateur * 1920 North and South Amateur * 1922 Massachusetts State Amateur * 1925 Massachusetts State Amateur * 1931 U.S. Amateur * 1932 Massachusetts Open * 1934 Boston Open Ouimet was young and continued to perform. Rocco will probably never win again on the PGA Tour.

[JonnyGolf]

I had to bold the words that made the least sense to me:

Take a deep breath and relax. No life lessons were requested.

[g-funk13]

Rocco Mediate winning would make some golf fans feel good, but that feeling would fade quickly. Tiger Woods winning is probably better for the game of golf. I agree with what's said above. Rocco's made a great career and earned a lot of money playing golf.

I agree with the above, esp regarding Campbell and Cabrera (who is just as likable as Mediate IMO). What could have been GREAT, was if this were the ONE time that Tiger was beaten, on the 91st or 92nd hole, by this guy who put together great game for 5 days. In a way it would have extended Tiger's legacy, because then it would be said, "Tiger's beatable after holding the lead in a Major, BUT ONLY after 19+ playoff/SD holes, and ONLY if he just had his 3rd surgery, and couldn't prepare as normal. . . " The Mediate win would have been appropriately dramatic with the playoff and sudden death, to beat the best player EVER. But that's why he's the best, and one step closer to overtaking 18 majors. Hoping he wins British AND PGA. . .

Brandel Chamblee made a comment earlier today that, although Rocco's on a high now, disappointment will slowly set in. Earlier today, I posted Chamblee's remarks, slightly offended. Now, however, I realize he may be right: I truly hope this is not the last we see of Rocco Mediate. He gave it his all, and I don't want his career to end on this note.

I disagree in this regard: if Chamblee means short term disappointment--of course. But if he means Rocco will look back with a sense of disappointment later in life as he considers his career I think he's wrong. Rocco is a bounce-back, glass is half-full type guy. He will see all of the positives of this week, and leave the woulda coulda's for someone not as smart as he.