Tiger and Rocco hugged when Woods took home the title to the 108th US Open after an intense 19-hole playoff. The overtime was more than just a final round or a sudden death playoff. It was one of those rare times when the best golfer goes up against a true underdog. An underdog with so much heart and determination that it leaves even the most loyal Tiger fans not sure whom to cheer for. People sat off in the stands for nearly six hours just waiting for the chance to see a couple approach shots and a few putts on the 18th.

But even though the title went to Woods in the end, Rocco held his own. And he maintained a humble and hopeful sportsmanship the entire time while facing off against the greatest golfer in the world.

The truth is that Tiger could probably sit out every PGA tournament for the next couple years and still hold his No. 1 spot but to Rocco, the chance to take home a U.S. Open title meant everything.

Mediate is really not a loser in this fight. He started the Major ranked as 158th in the world. By the end, he worked himself to 47th.

Maybe this is the new Rocco? Only time will tell. He certainly earned his spot back to the U.S. Open next year. But perhaps we will see some more great fights from him in the near future. If not, at least he has an amazing story to tell his friends.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 17th, 2008 at 1:03 pm and is filed under Golf Talk. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.