Woods-Mediate redux has a very different look, feel
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM Chief of Correspondents
LA JOLLA, Calif. -- A lot has happened since Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate last played together at Torrey Pines.
That classic duel at the 2008 U.S. Open was as compelling as it was captivating as the quintessential underdog battled the No. 1 player in the world. Only after the 19-hole playoff did we learn that Woods had essentially played the entire tournament on a broken leg, which only added to his considerable lore.
In the 30 months that have passed, though, Mediate has had to resurrect his career while Woods spent last year repairing his reputation as well as his swing. And both are in a much better place this week as they are paired together, along with Anthony Kim, in the first two rounds of the Farmers Insurance Open.
When they tee off Thursday at noon ET on the back nine of the North Course, it will mark the first time the two have played together since that frenetic Monday when Woods won his 14th major. It's also Woods' first appearance at Torrey Pines since he hobbled off the course with a double stress fracture and a torn ACL that required surgery two days later.
The significance of the pairing isn't lost on either man. That is, of course, whenever they can dislodge those tongues lodged firmly in their cheeks.
"I don't know how that computer did that," Woods said innocently.
"What a shocker," the effervesent Mediate agreed. "The computer had a glitch."
Actually, as both know, the PGA TOUR is experimenting with occasional arranged pairings this year, and this opportunity was too good to pass up. Woods is making his 2011 debut at a course where he has won seven times and his shared history with Mediate at the scenic seaside layout made the decision a no-brainer.
"I always enjoy his company and his game, and the people that follow him," Mediate said. "All the excitement, loudness, and screaming and hollering, I love all that stuff. So hopefully I can perform well enough. ... The excitement level goes to the moon."
Of course, not every player can thrive in that environment. Mediate, though, thinks he focuses better because he wants to make sure his game measures up. "It should be the same every day, but it really isn't in my case because you want to be able to hang in there with him," he explained.
Mediate's memories of the U.S. Open are "99.9 percent really good ones." That said, the gregarious 48-year-old didn't want the near-miss to define his career, although for a while, it appeared that would be the case. "It was cool and great and everything, but I still lost," Mediate said. "That still kind of stuck in me."
Two years later, Mediate was playing so poorly -- he stood No. 182 on the money list -- that he had already sent in his application to qualifying school. But all that changed at the Frys.com Open where positively Woods-ian hole-out eagles in each round, including on the 17th hole Sunday, helped propel Mediate to his sixth victory.
"It's like that's not the end," Mediate said. "It's like, yeah, I lost the U.S. Open, but I came back a couple years later and won a golf tournament on the PGA TOUR. That's really cool to me, and I'm not done yet. I know that for a fact. ...
"I'm very fortunate. It was awesome. And I get to be here and I get to be in a pairing, a category that pairs me with the man. ... I really can't ask for anything else."
Granted, Woods' pairing would have gotten the bulk of the attention no matter who joined him at the first tee on Thursday. He is coming off a rare winless season after a tumultous year that saw him have to adjust to life as a single father after he and his wife divorced.
A new swing coach in Sean Foley only added to the scrutiny. But Woods appears comfortable with the work they have put in on the range and much happier with the once can't-miss putting stroke that let him down last year.
"All we're doing is a continuation of what we've been working on and just trying to get more refined and that's it," Woods said. "... I'm looking forward to getting out there and playing, and basically feeling the heat again and see where I need to make improvements."
Mediate doesn't expect many will be necessary, though, If Woods starts finding fairways with regularity again, the veteran said, "The game is over. Trust me when I tell you this. ... Tiger will become Tiger again." And when that happens, Mediate think that Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 professional majors is back in play.
"Has he been vulnerable over the last year or so? Yes, we've all seen it," Mediate said. "Does that mean he's always going to be that way? Absolutely not. He will figure a way out. He will evolve and do what he's got to do to figure it out."
Will the victory drought and the "slide" down the world rankings to No. 3 on Sunday when Martin Kaymer won at Abu Dhabi be a distant memory by the end of 2011? Woods knows there are those who wonder whether he will regain the edge that made him the most feared player in the game.
He's not worried, though.
"I've heard it before," Woods said. "I've gone through stretches where I haven't won. I've had it happen in my career before, and I've been through this before. It's fine. All I have to do is keep working and stick to the game plan, just like I have in the past. I think my record kind of speaks to that."
Indeed.
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