Rocco Versus Goliath

Tiger Woods is younger and stronger. He hits the ball farther, has a superior short game, and putts better. He came to Torrey Pines having won on this golf course twelve times, six times as a professional. Rocco Mediate was just happy to have the priviledge of playing Torrey Pines this week, getting here as a regional qualifier. Rocco is in awe of this event, always has been, wearing U.S. Open pins he’s collected through the years on his hat as he plays. With two U.S. Open titles already under his belt, Tiger Woods is never in awe; he helps create the awe. Like his 30 on the back nine Friday or the two eagles on the back nine Saturday or his birdie putt on the 72nd hole to send this tournament to a playoff. There’s no disputing that Tiger is a golfing legend, maybe the best of all-time. Next up in his collision course with Jack’s record is an 18-hole playoff against Rocco Mediate, a golf vagabond, who, at 45 years old, has never contended at major championship. There couldn’t be a bigger mismatch to determine the U.S Open championship. This is the golf equivalent of David versus Goliath. It basically appears like a lamb is being sent to slaughter.

And that very well may be the case. Tiger will probably be too much for the 45-year-old Mediate. However, after watching how eloquently Rocco has negotiated the U.S. Open to this point — I’m not so sure. His disposition seems custom-made for going head-to-head with Tiger Woods. He shrugs off bad shots and laughs at the gallery after good shots. He seems to be thoroughly enjoying every second he spends atop the leader board, like he’s been waiting for this moment his whole life. And he has. He may be in awe of the U.S. Open, but for some reason he doesn’t strike me as a guy who is going to be in awe of Tiger Woods. He strikes me as the guy who’s going to come with his sticks firmly in hand, ready to play some golf. Something tells me this is going to be a war.

Anybody watching the past four days knows that Tiger is hobbled. His knee is far from 100 percent, and if this was any other tournament outside of a major, he would be nowhere near the course. And therein lies Rocco’s hope. If Tiger was 100 percent this week, the tournament would already be over. When Tiger is in top form, a one-on-one with Mediate would be trivial, and the result a forgone conclusion. But Tiger is not 100 percent, and that might be Rocco’s only saving grace. The question now becomes: Can the career journeyman outplay the hobbled legend?

The USGA did their best to force feed us a showdown between the #1 and #2 players in the world, deciding to pair Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson in the first two rounds. What they ended up with is even better: the #1 and #157 players in the world, head-to-head in a playoff for all the marbles. Tiger Woods versus Rocco Mediate — 18 holes for the 108th United States Open championship. The USGA was hoping for a Tiger/Phil showdown on Sunday; what they got is a Tiger/Rocco showdown Monday. Sometimes what you never see coming is better that what you originally wished for.

A Mile And A Half From Greatness

Secretariat did it with a dominating flare. Seattle Slew did it with a shy curiosity. Affirmed did it with a rival on his hind leg. In such a small window of time the sport saw horse after horse prove to be Super. From 1973 through 1978 three of horse racing’s most prized gems galvanized the sport, giving it a Golden Era many thought would last forever. In the thirty years since Affirmed and Alydar foreshadowed Magic and Bird, the blatant reality of the task has become obvious to all. Winning the Triple Crown isn’t an annual rite of passage reserved for the best three-year-old on the planet, it’s a rite of passage reserved only for the best horses of all-time.

As always the latest pursuit of the three-peat brings us to Belmont Park and the 140th running of the Belmont Stakes. Since Affirmed, ten other horses have gotten to this point, winning in Kentucky and Baltimore. Ten other horses captured our imaginations. Ten other horses forced people to flock to Belmont in record numbers, to avoid missing a piece of history. Ten other horses were the odds-on favorite to win the Triple Crown, and ten other horses failed. The names probably still ring a bell: Spectacular Bid, Pleasant Colony, Alysheba, Sunday Silence, Real Quiet, Charismatic, War Emblem, Funny Cide and Smarty Jones. They all have one thing in common - their pursuit of horse racing’s greatest prize ended on the same mile and a half race track in Elmont, NY.

Once again a horse won the Kentucky Derby only to follow that up by winning the Preakness. Once again people are flocking to Belmont Park to avoid missing history in the making, as once again a horse is the odds-on favorite to win the Triple Crown.

Like always, experts seem to think this horse is different. That he’s too good to fall victim to the pitfalls of those before him. They point to the fact that he didn’t just win the Derby and the Preakness; he dominated the Derby and the Preakness. They’ll tell anybody willing to listen about his perfect 5-0 record with split times that rival the greatest of all-time. They yearn like the rest of us, not just for a great horse, but for a Super horse. One that can return the sport to the glory days of its past and produce another moment showcasing why this is the Sport of Kings.

Thirty-one horses have gotten to this point and only 11 have survived. It’s been thirty years and again we stand only two and half minutes away from adding a twelfth name to that list. The most difficult test in Thoroughbred racing remains and will again be the difference between defining great from Super. Will we be witness to history? Will the end of one of the most exclusive lists in sports be altered to read "Secretariat, Seattle Slew, Affirmed, Big Brown?" In a mile and a half, we'll find out.