"If anybody else loses the U.S. Open that way, they get hung on a spit and have to deal with it for the rest of their lives," says one longtime observer. "Rocco does it and he ends up on Jay Leno."
So the people came back en masse Monday morning, hoping for more memories, maybe even some history, as Woods had never lost a major after holding at least a share of the 54-hole lead. If for no other reason, they returned because Woods-Mediate was a sexy matchup with a bountiful storyline, so captivating because it was, uh, unique.
The Wounded Warrior vs. the Everyman, someone for everyone to like, with Tiger's injuries remaining the great unknown in more ways than one. Woods always showed older players a little more respect, and at 45, Mediate certainly qualified, but he was also chatty and antsy, and this wasn't exactly Tiger's idea of a social environment. On the road to immortality and Mount Nicklaus, he had covered a lot of ground with his head down and his mouth shut.
A fellow veteran fondly referred to Mediate as the shortest-hitting good player on the tour, meaning the dude with the five-o'clock shadow couldn't hit it out of his shadow. Woods, meanwhile, could seemingly do anything but grow a decent beard. This wasn't Ali-Frazier or the Nadal-Federer dream duel that would occur at Wimbledon three weeks later, but then, Tiger's toughest wins were in battles against guys with nothing to lose.
"A classic David vs. Goliath scenario, except in our game, Goliath is the smart one with the slingshot," says the ever-quotable Paul Goydos. "I watched most of it, didn't really root for anyone, but the compelling story was Rocco trying to stop the steamroller. Just a cool deal, great for golf."
That 2000 PGA was pretty compelling, too, but there are times when a three- or four-hole playoff doesn't feel like enough, and that was one of them. You wanted Woods and May to keep playing, not just for the entertainment value, but to satisfy the competitive element. The longer the overtime session, the more credible the champion becomes.
In a large part because it stuck to the 18-hole format, Torrey Pines became the USGA's finest hour, a slam-dunk triumph with a twist of irony for an organization criticized for its old-world mentality. Woods-Mediate was an extended-play encore with everything on the line, a fifth round that turned a superb tournament into one for the ages.
"Having done this for 20 years, I can say that it was my favorite broadcasting day," says NBC on-course analyst Mark Rolfing. "I've done a lot of good ones, but that day was special. The playoff had everything. It was unlike anything I've ever experienced." The sharp turns in momentum gave it character and amplified the crescendo effect.
Trailing Woods by three strokes with eight holes to play, Rocco's stunning rally was the haymaker that launched a flurry of action into sudden death. In cameo roles, fate and luck would ultimately figure in the outcome, although sheer skill was the biggest reason Tiger claimed his third U.S. Open crown.
"Honestly, I'm still having a hard time believing he won that tournament," Woods' caddie, Steve Williams, says five months later. "Mainly because the guy who wins a major championship isn't the guy who hits the most good shots -- it's the guy who hits the least number of bad ones. Tiger hit a lot of great shots that week. He also hit far more terrible ones than usual."
A lot of them occurred on the first hole, where Woods made a double-bogey 6 in three of the four rounds of regulation. His forays into the left trees were somewhat comical because he looked so inept, like a 15-handicap trying to escape trouble, but on Monday it was Mediate who flubbed a chip and walked away with a bogey.
"Tiger set a positive tone in the playoff with his very first shot," Rees Jones says. "Right down the middle off the tee, which obviously was pretty important given how he had played the hole."
Haney had planned to walk with the twosome but turned around at the first green and headed to a hospitality tent to watch it on TV. The swing coach didn't have inside-the-ropes access, and outside the ropes, the turnout was utterly staggering. At least 10,000 people were herding along from the outset. "I could not believe how many people there were," Rolfing says. "We're standing on the third tee box, and the crowd ran all the way back to the sixth fairway."
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