Rocco Mediate recalls a moment at the 2010 Frys.com Open where
he told members of the media that he hoped during the tournament to
have a putt that mattered.
Rocco Mediate recalls a moment at the 2010 Frys.com Open where he told members of the media that he hoped during the tournament to have a putt that mattered.
Little did he know a five-footer on No. 18 to sew up the tournament championship with a 15-under would hold so much significance one year later as he prepares to defend his title at CordeValle Golf Club in San Martin.
Sure the victory was his first in eight years. But there was more to it than that. It provided him with a two-year Tour exemption.
“It was a life-saving win actually. And that’s a fact,” Mediate said at a Tuesday press conference. “If I miss, I’m not sitting here, I assure you.”
A week before Mediate dazzled a soaked Sunday gallery, which braved a steady rain throughout the final round, the 49-year-old suffered a forearm injury in a fluke occurrence.
“I tore the tendon the Sunday before the event,” Mediate said. “I pulled my bag off the thing at the airport and something happened.”
Struggling to keep his player card another year, and already planning to attend PGA Qualifying School, Mediate shrugged off the injury and turned in a memorable four rounds of golf.
Mediate recorded an eagle in each round, including a mystifying 2 on the par-4 17th on Sunday that catapulted him to a two-stroke advantage.
“I was kind of, for a lack of a better term, screwed if I didn’t pull that thing off,” Mediate said. “Obviously, I wasn’t thinking about that all week, but it happened, so that’s why I’m able to still sit here. So that’s kind of cool.”
About a week or so after the win, Mediate had an MRI done on the forearm, which revealed the tears in the tendon.
“I’ve been injured all year. It’s been a nightmare,” he said. “It’s better. It’s a lot better now the last couple weeks. I’m pretty good right now. I don’t have any worries.”
The jovial PGA Tour veteran, who is a fan-favorite at any Tour stop, talked everything from Tiger Woods to jalapenos and onions, referring to ingredients in a special dish prepared by his restaurant of choice while in town – Gilroy’s The Westside Grill. The self-proclaimed “creature of habit” said he has no plans to alter his routine while in town this week.
“I’ll be there every day this week, tonight, actually,” Mediate said. “The people are good, the food’s ridiculously good. That’s where I hang. I can’t wait. It’s fantastic. I like to talk to the people. It’s part of the gig.”
As for Woods, Mediate didn’t mix words.
“I’d love to see him get back to where he was before,” Mediate said, noting the significantly larger press room as opposed to the “dinky” one from a year ago. “I’m really happy that he’s playing here cause it’s huge for this event and huge for the Fall Series.”
The 132-player field, including 12 former Major winners, begins first round play Thursday. Mediate has a 7:30 a.m. tee time. Woods is slated to start at 12:10 p.m. Full list of tee times can be found below.
“CordeValle by the way, I was telling somebody else, I would come here and hang out for a few days and not play golf,” Mediate said. “It’s just a really neat place and they treat us really good here. The whole area, it’s really a nice place. The people are fantastic. I think all the players love it.”
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