Happy-go-lucky Mediate gave Tiger a run for his money

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Rocco Mediate was all smiles despite the incredible task of facing Tiger Woods in a U.S. Open playoff.

What will you remember about the 2008 season? That was the simple question we asked PGATOUR.COM staffers and freelance contributors, who responded with a series of short essays that we will post during November (click here for the archive link).

Rocco Mediate was 20 minutes into the most important round of golf in his life, and he couldn't stop smiling or talking.

Here he was, playing Tiger Woods in an 18-hole playoff for the U.S. Open championship at Torrey Pines in mid-June, and he seemed as relaxed as a guy playing in a Member-Guest at his local country club.

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Video: Mediate's memories

Never mind that everyone around him was going crazy. Woods may be the most popular player in golf, especially in Southern California, but not this day. With his easy-going demeanor, Mediate had become the darling of most of the 40,000 fans who jammed the cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

And why not? Who in their right mind gave Mediate much of a chance against Woods? Sure, Mediate had five PGA TOUR titles and a pair of top-10 finishes in the U.S. Open, but at 45 he was nearing the end of his career.

But he wasn't going to go down without a grin.

That became obvious on the second hole. Mediate had hit his tee shot into a fairway bunker, and as he walked near his ball to survey the situation, a fan wanted to see the "peace sign" belt buckle Mediate had been wearing all week.

Mediate instantly stopped, lifted his sweater and gave the fan a peace sign of his own as he flashed the belt buckle. The crowd roared its approval.

Imagine Woods -- or any other golfer, for that matter -- playing to the crowd like that in a pressure-packed U.S. Open playoff?

That's what made Mediate such a crowd favorite. He served notice he wasn't going to be intimidated by Woods when he showed up for the playoff wearing a red shirt -- the same color that Woods always wears in the final round. Mediate welcomed the challenge, perhaps knowing it might be his last chance to win a major.

While Woods limping around Torrey Pines on an injured knee is something all golf fans will remember, who can also forget the valiant battle Mediate staged for five days?

Had Woods not made a birdie putt on the 72nd hole, Mediate might have been the most improbable winner of this national championship since Jack Fleck somehow beat Ben Hogan in a playoff at The Olympic Club in 1955. Had Woods not again birdied the 18th hole in the Monday playoff, Mediate would have been the one lifting the trophy.

Heck, if Woods had listened to his doctors and skipped the U.S. Open because of a stress fracture, the championship could have been Mediate's.

Mediate had every chance to fold when Woods took a three-shot lead early in the back nine of the playoff. But Rocco stormed back to take a one-shot lead with three holes left.

Mediate eventually lost, with a bogey on the first sudden-death hole, but he gained a legion of fans. He hadn't surpassed Hale Irwin as the oldest winner in U.S. Open history, but he did something few players have done during the last decade.

He pushed Tiger Woods to the limit. Smiling and laughing all the way.

Craig Dolch, a PGATOUR.COM freelance columnist and former golf writer of the Palm Beach Post, has never worn a "peace sign" belt buckle ... at least on the golf course.