Arnold Palmer Invt'l player spotlight: Rocco Mediate

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Mar. 30, 2009
By PGATOUR.COM

Each week during the 2009 season, PGATOUR.COM will spotlight one key player in the field. (Click here to see previous spotlights.) For this week's Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard, it's Rocco Mediate.

Mediate has a close connection to tournament host Arnold Palmer. Mediate is a native of Greensburg, Pa. -- a mere 11 miles from Palmer's hometown of Latrobe. In addition to that link, Mediate has always performed well in front of Arnie at Bay Hill, including runner-up finishes in 1993 and 2007.

Mediate said on Tuesday that he was thankful for the sponsor's invitation he received from Palmer to play here in 1985. "He probably felt bad for me letting me in," Mediate joked. He's returned 20 times since.

Consider this file to be your one-stop source for everything concerning Rocco this week, with links to Rocco-related content, notes and stats, and video and other multimedia elements. Then, once competition starts, we'll update this file every day with Rocco's results and statistics after each round in Orlando.

Rocco's round-by-round results

Rd.	Score	Position	Eagles	Birdies	Pars	Bogeys	Others	SHOT TRACKER
1	68 (2 under)	T10	0	5	10	3	0	Click to replay round
Rocco got off to a fine start at Bay Hill with a 2-under 68 on Thursday. This week is particularly special for Rocco given his relationship with tournament host Arnold Palmer. With the 68, Rocco is just three shots behind and tied for 10th.
2	76 (6 over)	T55	0	2	10	5	1	Click to replay round
After a promising start on Thursday, Rocco really struggled on Friday, posting a 6-over 76 that put him at 4 over for the tournament and in a tie for 55th. He did manage to make the cut, but will have to go low on the weekend to have a chance.
3	70 (even par)	T31	0	3	12	3	0	Click to replay round
Mediate redeemed himself on Saturday with an even-par 70 at Bay Hill. He moved up over 20 spots on the leaderboard and was one of just eight players who had sub-par or even-par rounds in a very windy third round.
4	74 (4 over)	T48	0	1	14	1	2	Click to replay round
Mediate had a couple of double bogeys and failed to break 70 for a third straight day after opening with a 68. He struggled with the putter, taking 34 putts, despite hitting 72 percent of his greens in regulation.

Tuesday
Read: Rocco's transcript from his pre-tournament press conference
Watch: Rocco on the U.S. Open and playing this week at Bay Hill

Rocco Mediate: Featured content

	TOP 100 PLAYERS TO WATCH. In our list of the Top 100 Players to Watch in 2009, find out where Rocco landed. Click here for more
	THE GUY WHO CAME IN SECOND. People are still talking about Rocco's legendary U.S. Open duel last year with Tiger Woods, but what does he think about it? Click here for Q&A
	THE LAUGHING GOLFER. The 2008 U.S. Open was one of the biggest rounds of his life, but Mediate never stopped laughing and smiling. He became an instant fan favorite. Click here for more
	PLAYER PAGE. Want more on Rocco? On his PGATOUR.com player page, you can check out his results through the years, or how he ranks on TOUR in certain statistical categories. Click here for player page

Rocco Mediate: Featured videos

	MEDIATE'S 1993 WIN. Rocco Mediate hit a clutch 6-iron approach on the fourth playoff hole to beat Steve Elkington at the Wyndham Championship. Click here to watch
	IN THE BAG. Rocco Mediate shows us what clubs and gear he carries in his golf bag. Click here to watch
	STILL SINKING IN. The 2008 U.S. Open runner-up Mediate shares what life was like for him following his playoff loss in the U.S. Open. Click here to watch
	MEDIATE SUPPORTS PGA PROFESSIONALS. While speaking at his pre-tournament press conference at the 2008 PGA Championship, Mediate talked about the importance of PGA Professionals to the game of golf. Click here to watch
	MEDIATE WINS IN 2000. Mediate birdies the final hole to win the Buick Open by two shots over Chris Perry. Click here to watch

Take Five

Five things you should know about Rocco Mediate

	Just days after contending at the 2005 U.S. Open at Pinehurst, Mediate headed to Las Vegas to compete in the Main Event of the World Series of Poker. He finished 600th out of 5,619 players in Vegas.
	Mediate has been plagued by back problems for decades. Due to his aching back, he used a long putter and became the first player to win on TOUR with one when he claimed the 1991 Doral-Ryder Open title.
	He's had to take time off several times for back surgeries, including ones in 1994 and 1999. He held the lead on Sunday at the Masters in 2006, only to have his back go out on the back nine and cost him the tournament. Mediate took a long layoff and even served as an on-course reporter for the GOLF CHANNEL in 2007 while he recovered.
	Would have become the oldest U.S. Open champion in history had Tiger Woods not birdied the 72nd hole to force a playoff in 2008. The oldest U.S. Open champion remains Hale Irwin, who was 45 when he won in 1990 at Medinah.
	Mediate attended Florida Southern, where he played on the same golf team as his pal and fellow TOUR pro Lee Janzen. He credits his coach, Charlie Matlock, with having a large influence on his game.

Rocco's runner-up finishes

He notched one of the most famous second-place finishes in TOUR history when he lost to Tiger Woods in a playoff at the 2008 U.S. Open. That's not the only time Mediate has been the runner-up at an event. Take a look at his 10 close calls.
Year	Tournament	Winner
1987	Provident Classic	John Inman
1990	Canon Greater Hartford Open	Wayne Levi
1993	Nestle Invitational	Ben Crenshaw
2000	Phoenix Open	Tom Lehman
2001	Phoenix Open	Mark Calcavecchia
2001	Marconi Pennsylvania Classic	Robert Allenby
2003	Mercedes Championships	Ernie Els
2003	Deutsche Bank Championship	Adam Scott
2007	Arnold Palmer Invitational	Vijay Singh
2008	U.S. Open	Tiger Woods