Golf | Mediate letting his game do the talking at Bay Hill
March 17, 2007
ORLANDO, Fla. — Imagine how Rocco Mediate felt the first time he met Arnold Palmer on a golf course. He was 19 when friends secretly arranged a golf game at Latrobe, and the kid was so overcome by seeing the King that he nearly turned and ran.
Imagine how he would feel 25 years later to see Palmer waiting for him Sunday afternoon on the 18th hole at Bay Hill.
“It would be pretty interesting to see if I could even talk,” said Mediate, a guy who rarely shuts up.
Mediate chatted away through wind and rain Friday, making birdie on two of the toughest holes during his 5-under 65 that gave him a three-shot lead at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Tiger Woods was lucky to still be in the mix.
Tied for the lead after a 64 in the first round, Woods hooked one tee shot into the water and hit plenty of others into the rough. He closed with four tough pars for a 73, leaving him six shots behind.
Asked for any positives to take out of a bad day, Woods replied, “I broke 80.”
“It was pathetic,” he said. “I struggled all day. At least I’m still in contention.”
Mediate was at 9-under 131 and gets to spend a third straight day with Paul Casey, who gladly exchanges the banter. Casey shot 70 and was at 134 with John Rollins, who played with Woods and shot 65.
The group at 5-under 135 featured former British Open champion Ben Curtis (67), former PGA champion Shaun Micheel (68), Players champion Stephen Ames (67), Sergio Garcia (69) and Vaughn Taylor, who bogeyed his last two holes for a 71.
Mediate, who has battled back issues nearly his entire career, might not have been at Bay Hill except for a chance meeting with Palmer in December when he asked the tournament host about getting an invitation. Then, Mediate changed his mind. He asked Palmer to watch his game over the first few months of the season, and to offer him a spot if it looked as though Mediate was worthy.
Mediate tied for ninth at Riviera last month.
“I think when he saw me play pretty good at L.A., and starting to see things go up he said, ‘Well, let’s give him a shot.’ And that’s very inspiring to me,” Mediate said. “Whatever happens the next two days, I’m not real concerned.”
The golf for two days has been inspiring.
Mediate showed his sarcasm by saying the 16th was his easiest hole, converted to a par 4 at 485 yards. He hit driver and 3-wood into 20 feet and made the birdie, which last year would have been an eagle.
Equally impressive was the ninth, which played at 462 yards into a stiff breeze with clouds spewing the occasional shower. Mediate hit a 4-iron from 185 yards into about 3 feet for the finish he wanted.
As well as Woods hit the ball in the opening round, he was that much off under shifting wind. He dropped shots on two of the first four holes, then took double bogey on No. 6 with a tee shot into the water. The rest of the day was a grind, as he rarely gave himself good looks at birdie and more often had to scramble for par.
Source: seattletimes.nwsource.com
Posted in Golf News
