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"I was pissed," says Rocco Mediate, sucking a five-espresso-shot iced latte through a straw. Trailing Tiger Woods by three shots in the U.S. Open playoff last June, Mediate stormed off the 10th green after his second straight bogey. "I said to myself, 'No, no, no — he is not gonna beat me by six. I'm not gonna be the guy who shoots 75 and says, 'That's OK. I was supposed to lose.' 'F--- that!' I told my caddie. 'Enough of this s---. You just watch.'"
We all watched as Mediate birdied 14 and 15 and took the one-legged wonder to the 91st hole. Mediate lost the Open but won millions of new fans. "It was the greatest week of my life on a golf course, but I was not just happy to be there — I expected to win," he says in an Italian restaurant in Brentwood, Calif. Fielding queries from Golf Magazine and Golf.com readers, the five-time Tour winner looks a decade younger than 46 in his T-shirt and cargo shorts. Edgy, intense and brimming with caffeine, Rocco will now take your questions.
— Mark Blue, 37, Indianapolis, Ind.
That's a fair question, but no, absolutely not. Actually, at that point, Tiger's behind me in the last group, so I didn't know what I needed to win. And 18 wasn't a gimme birdie for him. I wanted to reach it in two, and to do that I had to hit a hard, nasty hook to get inside 250 [yards to the pin], so it was a shot I had to hit. Either I pull it off or I don't. I didn't.
What was it like on the first tee in the Monday playoff? Were your knees knocking?
— Craig Musch, 36, Toledo, Ohio
Nervous? Hell no! If you're a Tour pro and your knees are shaking, you won't last two minutes out here. But the first tee was surreal. I like to soak up the surroundings. I play fast, and hell, I only think about my swing for two seconds per shot, so I have a lot of time to focus on everything else. I remember the smell of eucalyptus. I remember feeling I finally had something I'd waited for forever — playing Tiger for the title at a U.S. Open, and in a playoff. I had to settle myself down and say, 'You're here to play golf.' I'd never felt emotions on a course like I did that day. And the sounds? When I made that [35-foot birdie] putt on 15, that was the loudest f---ing roar I've ever heard.
When did you have Tiger scared on Monday?
— Charles Burgstedder, 33, Baltimore, Md.
Scared? I don't think Tiger gets scared. He's a well-oiled machine. A killer. But he might get concerned and think, Hmmm, interesting. I think I had him concerned for sure after I birdied 15 to take a lead. That's where I wanted him to feel it. I can tell you that I was not scared to take the lead. He didn't panic, but neither did I. I've always said that Tiger brings out either the worst or the best in you. I've always played my best with him. I was so comfortable out there. The U.S. Open is about striking it, and that's my game. I just told myself, "Stay standing up straight on the last three holes and you can beat him."
Rocco, how did you stay so calm and relaxed? I was nervous just watching you.
— Ryan Kelly, 17, Waterville, Ohio
Pressure's what you make of it. If I didn't laugh, joke, have a good time, then I'd be in an asylum. I was the most relaxed person at the entire event. My oldest boy, Rocco [watching on TV], was pacing back and forth about to have a heart attack. It was nervy, sure, but it was good nervy. You want that, especially against Tiger. This is what you work for. When I woke up that morning, I thought I was gonna beat him. I felt great. I wasn't feeling, "Hey, I'm happy to be here. Let's go get my ass kicked." I wanted to beat him, I thought I would beat him, and I came pretty close. So why be nervous? I was playing too good. Was I just happy to be there? Hell no. I wanted the trophy. I knew it wasn't gonna be easy. I knew head-to-head that shooting a 70 or 69 was gonna win, and I was right. Tiger just happened to think the same thing. We both shot 71 [through 18]. I'm the hundred-billionth-ranked player in the world, but he can't stop me from making pars on a U.S. Open course. I'm not afraid of Tiger, the people, the pressure. He can't do anything to me. OK, if we get in a fistfight, he's gonna kick my ass, I'll give him that.
Did you feel like Rocky after losing to Apollo Creed? "Ain't gonna be no rematch..."
— Corky Michelson, 42, Bucks County, Pa.
"... Don't want no rematch." [Laughs] I know that movie like the back of my hand. But f---, I want a rematch! What kind of question is that? You kiddin' me? I want a rematch every Sunday. Every. Single. Sunday. What, should I be afraid? Tiger's the best, the best of all time. No offense to [Greg] Norman, but Tiger is the real great white shark. He just devours everyone, everything. And just like Rocky, I want to see what I got against the best. S---, you want to be there.
Any memorable exchanges with Tiger that will stay with you?
— Dave Tramlin, 55, Reno, Nev.
Yes, but I won't tell you. A lot of special things were said, and no one gets to know them except him and me — it was too special. I can say that, when we were done, after the 91st hole, he said, "Great fight." I said, "You, too — enjoyed it." Nothing fancy. He said other things. He was different that day than in other tournaments. No fist-pumps. There was something special happening. He was into it. He got a great battle, and I'll bet he enjoyed it more than if he'd won by 10.
