The 2009 U.S. Open is set to tee off on Thursday, June 18. I hope this year’s U.S. Open can come close to matching the excitement of last year’s classic.
In case you forgot, the 2008 U.S. Open featured a 45-year old named Rocco Mediate and Tiger Woods, the world’s top-ranked golfer, who had missed the previous two months due to knee surgery.
The affable, always-smiling Mediate was in the clubhouse with a one-stroke lead as Tiger stood over a 15-foot putt on the final hole that he had to make to force an 18-hole playoff the next day. And as only Tiger could do, he sank the putt.
On Monday, Rocco and Tiger provided one of the most exciting days in golf history, which was made even more dramatic by Tiger’s knee problems, which left him grimacing after many tee shots. It first appeared as though Tiger’s experience would be too much for Mediate as he built a three shot lead with eight holes to play. However, the gritty Mediate refused to quit and actually led by one four holes later. And as he had done on Sunday, Tiger had to make another putt on 18 to tie, which, of course, he did. Tiger went onto win on the next hole, the 91st hole of the tournament.
It was his 65th career victory, passing Ben Hogan for third all-time, and 14th major. Tiger raised his playoff record to 15-2 and made it 14-of-14 in majors when he had at least a share of the lead going into the final round. For Mediate, I’m sure there was disappointment, but you would have never known it. He won over a legion of fans and quickly became one of the most popular golfers on tour. His affable personality has opened up a world of opportunities, from endorsements to appearances to motivational sports speaking.
This year’s event starts on Thursday at Bethpage Black in New York. The initial weather forecast calls for rain off and on throughout the week, and if that holds true, it’s going to keep the scores low and reward those players who keep the ball in the fairway and out of the notoriously-thick rough. So who am I picking to win this year’s event?
Tiger won Jack Nicklaus’s event a couple of weeks ago at Muirfield and drove the ball better than he has all year. If he plays the same this week, he could be tough to beat. I also like a few international golfers, including Geoff Ogilvy, the 2006 Open winner, and Retief Goosen, a two-time Open champion . My darkhorse…Brian Gay, who won the event in Memphis last week after leading wire-to-wire. A two-time winner this year, Brian is a tough competitor when he’s on top of his game.
PFP Sports and Celebrity Talent Agency is a top celebrity and sports booking agent for golf speakers, sports stars , athlete appearances, athlete endorsement deals and celebrity entertainment.
