WHEN YOU’RE 47 AND haven’t won in eight years on the PGA Tour, you must wonder if you’ll ever have another chance. In fact, for Rocco Mediate, who won the Frys.com Open on Sunday for his sixth tour title, the challenge has been even more basic. Rocco has been trying to piece together enough good golf to regain his tour playing privileges.
Until Rocco got his improbable win in California, he had only collected about $140,000 in 24 events this season. His prospects were not looking good. But one week like the one in San Martin can turn everything around.
Rocco had a hole out on each day of the tournament. On Thursday, he made a hole-in-one on the par-3 3rd hole. On Friday, he holed out from 160 yards on the par-4 4th hole. On Saturday, he holed out from 111 yards on the par-5 15th hole. And on Sunday, after struggling early in the round and then dropping a birdie putt on 16, he holed out from 116 yards on the 17th.
“I had a perfect number,” Rocco said. “And when I hit it, I went: ‘Oh, that’s got to be good, that would be nice.’ And when it went in, I thought: ‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’”
Four hole outs for four eagles. And he won by a stroke.
I didn’t see any of it, but I’m happy for Rocco. It’s been a bumpy road for him since nearly beating Tiger Woods at the 2008 U.S. Open.
“I have a job again,” he said.
−The Armchair Golfer
Four Hole Outs Spur Win for Rocco Mediate
Colin Montgomerie’s ‘Blather’
I JUST READ JIM MCCABE’S piece titled, “Monty misses mark on European dominance.”
I don’t think the Golfweek senior writer is a fan of Captain Monty. Far from it. He begins:
At first, it felt like an unusual, late-season hurricane moving up the coast. But, no, the warmth was coming in from Hong Kong, delivered by Colin Montgomerie, a specialist in hot air.The Monty quote that set McCabe off? This one: “We have always bowed to America’s dominance. But now we don’t just have Lee Westwood but also Martin Kaymer coming up, as well.”
McCabe suggests that Colin should run the dominance statement by Tony Jacklin, Sam Torrance, Mark James, Bernard Gallacher, Bernhard Langer, Nick Faldo, Ian Woosnam, Sandy Lyle, Seve Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal. He wants to remind Monty of 1985, 1987, 1989, 1995 and 1997, a stretch of five Ryder Cup wins for Europe in seven tries.
Lee Westwood ascending to No. 1 in the world ranking is a big deal, especially since he’s dethroning Tiger Woods. But guess what? Four Europeans (the same number as Americans) have held the top spot: Langer, Ballesteros, Woosnam and Faldo.
McCabe, in closing:
What is important is to brush aside Captain Monty’s blather about Europeans always bowing to American dominance and this changing-of-the-guard nonsense. It’s disrespectful to the dynamic Europeans who more than 20 years ago changed the face of world golf and made possible the opportunities and the riches that now flow to their countrymen.Monty, he’s right. It’s expected that you would be walking on air after winning the Ryder Cup and considering the sensational year European players have had (two majors and a slew of other PGA Tour wins). But can you tone it down a smidge? It’s gotten a little too silly.
On the other hand, you served up a column for McCabe. For that, you are to be commended.
−The Armchair Golfer
(Image: Monster/Flickr)
Martin Kaymer’s Quiet Golf Takeover
MARTIN KAYMER IS A SOFT-spoken German with the skills and nerve of an international cat burglar. On Sunday, the 25-year-old was spotted slipping away from the Old Course with yet another piece of valuable hardware, his third trophy caper in 56 days. He is the first player since Tiger Woods in 2006 to win three consecutive titles on the European Tour.
While Lee Westwood is poised to take the No. 1 ranking away from Woods, Kaymer is sneaking up on both of them. His victory at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship moves him to No. 4 in the Official World Golf Ranking behind Woods, Westwood and Phil Mickelson.
At St. Andrews on Sunday in cold and blustery conditions that produced plenty of sock hats and occasional over-sized mittens to warm hands, Kaymer posted a clever 66 that featured a birdie-birdie finish to win by three strokes. On the 17th, the famous Road Hole, he rolled in a lengthy putt from off the back of the green for an improbable birdie three. Then, at 18, Kaymer struck his approach shot from the paved road that crosses the fairway. The ball stopped six feet from the hole and rolled into the cup on the next stroke.
The German golf star flashed a grin like he had just cracked a safe and slipped the diamonds into his satchel, which, in a way, he had. The win was worth €580,046.40 and raises his season money total to €3,134,447. Kaymer now leads Graeme McDowell in the European Tour’s Race to Dubai by a wide margin.
“It was always one of my dreams to win here at St. Andrews,” he said.
Sure, why not? Martin Kaymer is checking a lot of things off his list in recent days. First major. (Check.) First Ryder Cup. (Check.) First win at the Old Course. (Check.)
In addition to winning the PGA Championship in August and the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship this weekend, Kaymer took the KLM Open in the Netherlands in September. Except for a thrashing in Ryder Cup singles at the hands of Dustin Johnson, it’s been a near-perfect two months for the Dusseldorf native.
At the moment, Kaymer is the world’s hottest player. Perhaps he’s also on his way to being the world’s top-ranked player.
−The Armchair Golfer
Celtic thriller as Europe triumph in Ryder Cup classic!
0905: Westwood/Stricker start singles (Europe 9½-6½ USA)
1149: Europe up in 7 matches, USA in 4, one all-square
1247: Stricker beats Westwood 2&1 (9½-7½)
1248: D Johnson beats Kaymer 6&4 (9½-8½)
1302: Poulter beats Kuchar 5&4 (10½-8½)
1320: McIlroy halved with Cink (11-9)
1329: Donald beats Furyk 1up (12-9)
1403: Jimenez beats Watson 4&3 (13-9)
1409: Overton beats Fisher 3&2 (13-10)
1414: Woods beats F Molinari 4&3 (13-11)
1442: Mickelson beats Hanson 4&2 (13-12)
1501: E Molinari halved with Fowler (13½-12½)
1502: Z Johnson beats Harrington 4&3 (13½-13½)
1520: McDowell beats Mahan 3&1 (14½-13½)
The 2010 Ryder Cup in detail: http://www.rydercup.com/2010/
