Could Not Have Asked for Better

What a treat today was. We got 19 holes of spectacular golf in a playoff. Both players matched each other and the course, shot for shot, to fire a round of even par 70. Rocco got caught in a fairway bunker on the first hole of sudden death and that awkward lie was pretty much all she wrote. Even despite that situation, Rocco still had a chance to extend the playoff.

That was the story of the day for Rocco. At times, particularly on holes six through ten, it seemed like he was out of it and that this would end a rout. Still, Rocco had holes left and found a way to rally on the backside. He came back with birdies on the back side at 13, 14, and 15. The guy would not go away and that his a tribute to the kind of guy that he has been his entire career. Though the payoff is not in victory, it is in an immeasurable amount of respect.

Woods, to the contrary, looked as though he was coming up just short. Something appeared to be off about Woods all day long. Holes 11 and 12 let Mediate back into the championship. Still, like yesterday, he summoned just enough of his own talent to be able to survive until he could win. It is the mark of a champion. This is the 14th time that we have seen that talent end in a major title, and certainly the most dramatic of them all - no disrespect to Chris DiMarco or Bob May.

Thousands of words could not do this playoff justice, although I am certain someone is going to write a book about this week. (John Feinstein, maybe?) So, I will try to sum it up in one: incredible.