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I don't know how many of you are golf fans but even the casual fan is probably tired of hearing how spectucular and historical this past US OPEN was. Some people, including my 'better' half think that the only thing more boring than playing golf is watching it on TV. But if you love the sport than you can appreciate my joy and the thrill of watching it unfold shot-by-shot, hole-by-hole. David vs Goliath, 'Rocco' Mediate vs Elridge 'Tiger' Woods. Epic.

Sunday Highlights

Early in the round it's looking like someone other than Tiger would be taking home the US OPEN. But bit by bit the pieces fall into place most likely due to Westwood's tremendous game under pressure. You've all experienced playing with someone of a different level and/or temperment. Great players are patient, confident, and keep their cool so you find yourself playing better. By contrast if someone in your group, or worse our cart, blows up and lets his emotions take over ... watch out ... long, tedious, bad round to follow.

Westwood goes toe to toe with Tiger and is one or two putts away from either winning the whole thing or joining the leader for an 18-hole playoff on Monday. It all comes down to the 18th hole and a frightening 12 foot putt. Tiger lines up the putt ... Tiger makes the putt ... Tiger celebrates the putt and one of the first people to congratulate him in person is Rocco Mediate. Class act.

Front 9 Action

From the get go Tiger announced he was here to play, not limp through a 2nd place finish. He cringed with his power hits but hit them nonetheless and right off the bat he was up one stroke on the little guy from the DII school. This lead was extended to two as Rocco scrambled for Par while Woods tapped in a birdie. And then it happened - they reached the first Par 3. Swing, Tiger is in a deep sand with little chance of getting it close to the flag placement and no chance of holing it out. Swing, Rocco's ball rolls within a hair of an Ace for a tap-in bird. For the first time in his professional career, Tiger bogey's at Torrey Pines South course. But it's only one bogey, right? Wrong, twice more on Par-3's Rocco finds himself picking up a stroke and staying within arms reach of the best golfer in the world. At one point Tiger followed a Par-3 bogey with two birds but those misses are keeping Rocco in the game and full of hope.

Twisted TV Coverage

'Well folks, we have the television coverage rights for this block of time and will now send you to NBC. But come back for post game analysis and interviews. ... ummm, both players have reached the green and are lining up thier putts.'

Let me set the stage for you. It was the 9th hole (pure coincedence that the tv coverage was almost perfectly matched to time itself with the entire front nine) and both players had hit two shots. The underdog was down two strokes and Tiger had mis-hit so he was forced to chip on. Both were miles away from the hold meaning that we were missing a live look at Mediate pulling even with Tiger.

On NBC there was no coverage yet, just some turbo mop informercial that finally ended with mr. personality Costas explaining that we had all missed a dramatic reversal in fortune and the score was now Tiger +2 ... not even. What? Huh? How?

Play the Course, Not the Player

The 10th hold was no kinder to Rocco and from tightly contested match to virtual blow-out, considering there were two more Par-5's to play and Tiger seemed to have settled into his groove. After 10 holes it was a +3 advantage for Woods. Time for Rocco to play out the round and try to salvage his dignity, right? Wrong. On the next tee box Rocco looked around, smiled, settled into himself and on the advise of his caddy he changed strategies. Forget what the other guy was doing, just play the course and let the chips fall as they may. Swing - long ball, middle of the fairway.

Meanwhile, the chips slowly began to fall in Mediate's favor as one by one each of Tiger's extra strokes began to fade away with more hole to play. Just about now was when most of the big name final day pairings usually fade away and/or mis-hit the ball ... but not Rocco. This David brought a steel ball with his slingshot and dared to put pressure putts into the cup. Did he really have a chance to comeback against the 13-time Major winner with 64 professional wins under his young belt?

Two putts, One leader

There they stood, side-by-side, each walking the green and lining up their respective putts. Rocco was away with a chance to drop a long birdie and subsequently sit no worse than tied with three holes to play. He putts and watches the ball roll towards then away then back towards the cup to hear the greatest sound in golf. A ball rolling into an empty cup.

Then it was time for the miracle putter to take his putt. Not quite as long as Rocco's but equally challenging since he knew his HAD to go in. The ball rolls towards the hole without question and without hesitation. It hits the hole ... and lips out. GASP! Instead of settling for a tie he was now down three holes including a dreaded Par-3.

Lengthening the course, advantage: Woods

Par-5 at 614 yards. Are you kidding me? The worse part is that all of the pro's should at least par it (assuming they play a lay-up) and most of the pro's can bird it because of their touch around the hole, but Tiger plays that distance as a Par-4 so he's putting for Eagle. On one such hole Rocco hits his fairway and in his own words he crushed it ... on the green in two. Tiger hit his 7-iron ... from the sand ... inside Rocco's ball. Incredible shots by both players and helped to highlight the difference between the number one player in the world and the little ol' man who wasn't quite in the top 150 players in the world. Simply amazing golf.

Sudden Death

I love the 18 hole playoff and to a much lesser extent the mini 3 or 4 hole playoff. You need to give a player a chance to pull off a miracle finish and likewise you need to give the former leader a chance for redemption and ultimate victory. I do not like the fact they started sudden death on hole # 7 and think they should always revert to hole # 1. In this specific case I think Rocco would have had a great chance to at least go par-par with Tiger on hole # 1. Instead, we see him desperately trying to hit within 40 yards of el Tigre and pulling it left while Tiger sends one up and out that rolled along the grass ridge and ever so slightly bounced back into the fairway. If the Open was configured for a secondary mini-playoff of 3 to 4 holes, who knows what happend but instead: one swing each and the match was decided.

Historical Significance

This epic struggle was two missed putts and an unlucky bounce away from becoming setting history on several levels. Rocco was in great shape on Sunday but missed a birdie putt that would have embarrased you or I. On Monday he stood atop a makeable (but LONG) putt for the title. On the first hole of sudden death he bounces off and into the trap and then hit his approach into a spectator wall. He bowed out gracefully and saw his world rankings rise after just one match from 158 to 47. He'll receive a free pass to Augusta and the US OPEN. Not bad for a 45 year old who went from an 11 man playoff to get into the Open ... and was one putt from becoming the oldest first time major winner ever.

If you're into golf, even if it's just a smidgen. Then do yourself a favor and rent, on demand, stream, 'The Greatest Game Ever Played.' Varnon vs Ouimet, Woods vs 'Rocco' Mediate. You would find yourself wondering if that movie was fantasy based on this last weekend but the reality is that sometimes truth is better than fiction.

C'est tout for now my dear friends, to life, to work, to better days. I know this article does little to make you appreciate golf more and I apologize for lacking the time, energy, skill to do a better job of getting across how special this match truly was but trust good ol' Mr. Pete ... this is one for the history books.

I'll be back soon but until then, take care of yourselves and swing away!

There's a not so old adage that trees are 95% air but a golf ball will find that 5% 'other' every time.

I think that I shall never see,

a hazard rougher than a tree;

A tree over which my ball must fly,

if on the green it is to lie;

A tree whose leafy arms exend,

to kill the six iron in my hand;

A tree that stands in silent there,

while angry golfers rave and swear;

Irons were made for fools like me,

who cannot ever miss a tree.