Normally, a performance like the one Rocco Mediate put on at last year’s US Open would be celebrated far and wide. Since the invention of Tiger Woods, however, these types of celebrations have been largely eliminated; especially during Major championships. Even though Mediate didn’t beat Woods, you simply have to admire his “Sorry, Tiger. You are going to have to beat me to win this thing.” approach, not to mention his “F-off. I can wear red, too.” outfit. The lead video features the culmination of Tiger’s huge win, something that took 90 holes to complete.

90 holes of golf, and still no winner.

Of course, were it not for the following putt by Woods, there would’ve been no 19th hole. Instead, Mediate would’ve won and leaving Tiger to face a bitter layoff while he recuperated from knee surgery. Surely, you remember this:

While the 19 and deciding hole didn’t have that much drama, it didn’t stop Tiger from celebrating like he just hooked up with a hot Swedish model. Oh wait. He celebrated like… like… Like he won the US Open. On one healthy leg. Against an opponent who was trying his damnedest to win his first major.

So yeah, his exuberance is understandable.

Moving forward, is this the kind of performance we can expect when the Open begins tomorrow? We could only be so lucky. Because of his play at the Memorial a couple of weekends ago, Tiger is firm favorite, but don’t take it from me. Here’s what one of Kansas City’s pro golfers, Michael Letzig, is saying:

“Nobody can beat him. If he plays the way he did [at the Memorial] Sunday, it doesn’t matter how much I practice or how much anybody practices,” Letzig said. “He’s so much better than the next best player in the world.”

With that in mind, who ya got? Tiger or the rest of the field?

Tags: Major Championships, Rocco Mediate, Tiger Woods, US Open

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