Rocco, Rocco, Rocco. The chant was relentless Sunday at the CordeValle Golf Club in San Martin, California as one of the PGA Tour’s most likable heroes capped off a win like none other in his long career as a golf professional.
The Frys.com Open served up a closing three quarters of an hour that rivaled any amount of action that has been witnessed on the PGA Tour this year. Obviously, this Fall Series event was not willing to settle for second fiddle to its FedEx Cup brethren.
A magical week that had already included hole out eagles in each of the first three rounds was taking a bleak turn on Sunday before the overnight leader; 47 year-old Rocco Mediate did the unlikely – he holed out yet again. A 116-yard wedge dropped in for a two at the 17th hole just after his competitor, rookie Alex Prugh, had nearly aced the short par four to take the outright lead. While Mediate was overjoyed with the outcome at 17, he did not seem that surprised at the possibility – he said the shot lined up well for him, “If I hit it the right number, it’s going to come back to the right a little bit. I just started out a little left and it was a flat slider, which is really cool that I can hit that occasionally. Under the gun today that was really cool. Obviously going in is a joke, but, you know, it would’ve been a birdie more than likely, which is what I was trying to do anyway.”
Rocco’s feat pushed him clear of a trio of pursuers, including Bo Van Pelt, Rickie Fowler, and Prugh, and set up the culmination of an electrifying week.
When Van Pelt and Prugh each made birdie on the 18th Mediate required a five foot par to grab his 6th PGA Tour victory and first since the 2002 Wyndham Championship and he was up to the task. Mediate had told the media on Thursday that he wanted a four or five footer that really mattered and although he admitted Sunday that he was not sure why he had said that, he got his wish in the end.
His final tally of 15-under par, 269, earned him $900,000 and a two-year exemption that should give him PGA Tour status to carry him through to the Champions Tour.
Mediate explained the significance of his first win in California. “I have a job. I signed up for tour school, and I was going to go. That’s where I belonged about a half hour ago; I don’t belong there anymore…That’s where I was going to go more than likely. If I had finished second, I don’t think that would have been enough to get to the top 125. But the two years is huge. I can kind of — I’m going to play Las Vegas and Disney and then I’m going to rest. Actually going to get in the gym. But I don’t have to do the school again, and that’s ridiculous. I can’t even believe it.”
Prugh and Van Pelt shared second place while last year’s runner-up, Rickie Fowler, grabbed fourth alone. His fellow Oklahoma State Alum, Chris Tidland, followed him by just a stroke for his first career PGA Tour top five.
Also of significance, David Duval tied for 6th place. That moves him to 99th on the money list and virtually assures him a PGA Tour Card for 2011 with just two events left in the Fall Series.
This report provided to GolfWRX.com by Canada’s Flagstick Golf Magazine (www.flagstick.com)
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