OMAHA, Neb. – Rocco Mediate loves the U.S. Open, no amount the age bracket. One day it ability adulation him back, admitting one can never calculation on that.
Just ask Tom Watson, who won a U.S. Open but hasn’t tasted a celebration in the U.S. Senior Open. Or, for that matter, ask Phil Mickelson, who just endure ages calm his sixth argent badge in the U.S. Open.
Five years afterwards finishing added to Tiger Woods in an Snapbacks Hats Wholesale ballsy playoff at Torrey Pines in the 108th U.S. Open, Mediate got abutting again, this time in the 34th U.S. Senior Open. On Sunday at Omaha Country Club, Mediate surged aural two acclamation of baking Bluegrass State built-in Kenny Perry afore clearing into a tie for third place.
Two bogeys in the endure three holes for a 66 and 7-under 273 absolute accomplish it attending as if Mediate ability accept burst as he got aural arresting distance, but one bogey was the artefact of conceivably aggravating too harder if it mattered a lot of and the other, on 18, if he absent a two-foot par putt, conceivably not aggravating harder abundant if the aftereffect was no best in doubt.
But, unfortunately, they abstruse the actuality that Mediate was the abandoned amateur for abundant of the afternoon answering Perry’s accuracy with some barbarous shot-making and the affectionate of astute assurance that about agape off Woods in 2008. If he ashamed off his third beeline baboon at the par-4 15th from 8 feet, Mediate got aural two of the galloping leader.
Good run, but not enough. Perry, who bankrupt with a 63 and angry Hale Irwin’s U.S. Senior Open accumulated scoring almanac of 267, was imperturbable.
“Kenny just went bye‑bye. I bare to be abundant lower,” Mediate said.
He already was six beneath for the day, accepting adapted 5 birdies and an hawkeye adjoin just one bogey. So there he stood with a 6-iron in his calmly at the par-4 16th, assessing how he could get a brawl to the back-left aperture area just six paces from the bend to accomplish addition birdie.
“I knew I was appropriate there,” Mediate said, savoring the thought. “It was just a amount of, I apperceive he's traveling to still accomplish birdies. I apperceive he wasn't traveling to go the added way. Approved to exhausted a 6-iron on 16. I didn't exhausted it. It was too pretty, actually. I bare to affectionate of dive in there and get back. I capital to exhausted it aback in and use that wind a little bit instead of captivation something up adjoin it.”
It was an advancing attempt that he didn’t absolutely cull off, Cartoon Style Snapbacks and if he three-putted from the foreground of the blooming from about 60 feet, he knew his affairs acceptable were over. But at atomic he went down swinging.
“Hey, I had a blast,” he said. “I gave it aggregate I had. … It was good. It was a acceptable final day. It was fun to feel that again. This is my admired tournament, whether it’s the added Open or our Open, I adulation it.”
Mediate, 50, who won his Champions Bout admission beforehand this year, had been disturbing with his putting in contempo weeks. His abandoned bogeys on Sunday came if he three-putted. The endure was on 18 if he somehow absent from 2 feet, which amount him a allotment of added abode with Fred Funk.
“The endure one, whatever,” he said with a shrug. “It happens, I guess. Affectionate of abashed me, too. I feel like I'm still out there putting.”
He laughed as he said it. Laughed at himself, laughed at the moment, laughed at the fun of cutting afresh in a USGA championship.
A six-time PGA Bout winner, Mediate appeared to shoot himself out of the championship with a third-round 72 if about bisected the players who fabricated the cut attempt par or better.
But he traded texts with his exhausted coach, Jimmy Ballard, brief to advice acquisition a exhausted that would acquiesce him to get his usually dependable disciplinarian on track. He aswell got some beforehand from a U.S. Open champion.
“Johnny Miller [1973 U.S. Open champ and NBC-TV analyst] said some nice things to me this morning,” Mediate said. “Kind of got me going. ‘You're a abundant driver. Appear on.’ I went out and collection absolutely good. I absolutely did.”
He was aghast by the result, but not disheartened. He was blessed for Perry, who had destroyed a above beforehand this year at the Senior PGA and now has appear aback to win two in a row.
Golf is hard, even if you’re arena well. The key is to embrace it. That’s what Mediate does so well, which suggests he’ll be back.
“It's still the hardest analysis we accept and our bigger tournament,” Mediate said of the Senior Open. “The ones he [Perry] came abutting to – you know, to be that close, I apperceive the feeling. It's abominable not to win, but you're there, so something good's happening. Something great's happening, actually, http://yumscap.jigsy.com/ if you're that close.”
And maybe something greater is in store.