Home › Sports › Golf News
Golf: Naples' Mediate has one more chance at automatic Ryder Cup spot
RELATED STORIES
Related Links
More Golf News
- Local golf: Ex-FGCU players Lamielle, Lamely start up PGA Tour Q-School Finals
- Tom Patri: Kids need athletes to be better role models
- Local golf: Holes-in-one
Tell us about it
- What would you add to this story? Tell us what we missed.
- Do you have photos from this event? Documents we need to see? Share with us.
- Upload photos & videos
- More ways to get your stuff online and in the paper.
STORY TOOLS
Share and Enjoy [?]
Rocco Mediate has one last shot to control his dream.
The 45-year-old Naples resident and Calusa Pines member needs a strong finish at the PGA Championship starting today at Oakland Hills in Bloomfield Township, Mich., to grab an automatic spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team.
“It would be great,” Mediate told reporters Wednesday. “I still have a lot of stuff to do. One more good shot here to get in the top eight is what we are all looking to do.”
Unfortunately, Mediate, who has never won a major or been on a Ryder Cup team, didn’t help himself at last week’s Bridgestone Invitational. After a first-round 68 had him in contention, he finished tied for 52nd on Sunday and dropped two spots to 12th in the points standings. But points are doubled this week for the season’s final major. If Mediate can’t jump up into the top eight automatic spots, he’ll have to hope Paul Azinger will make him one of his four captain’s picks on Sept. 2.
“I think he made a good move in changing the way, instead of having all of the picks Monday morning (after the PGA Championship), he’ll watch a few weeks and see who is really playing better,” Mediate said.
Mediate has 2,246.060 points; Steve Stricker is in eighth with 2,603.168. Woody Austin, co-winner of Naples’ Merrill Lynch Shootout along with Mark Calcavecchia in 2007, is ninth with 2,422.983, followed by Hunter Mahan (2,304.517) and D.J. Trahan (2,294.916).
A player receives two points for every $1,000 he earns at the PGA. Even if Mediate doesn’t get into the top eight, a strong finish at Oakland Hills, and beyond, if necessary, would make Azinger’s decision easier.
“You look at the points they have in front of you, and I’m enough points behind to where I’ve got to have a top-four or five, and I still might not be good enough to make the top eight,” he said. “So it’s not going to affect the way I play, I hope.”
Mediate’s historic run at Tiger Woods in the U.S. Open two months ago — he lost on the first hole of sudden death after the two were tied following an 18-hole playoff — still resonates with fans and the media; he was still asked in detail about it last week. Mediate was one of “10 or 12” pros who spent part of the Fourth of July weekend at the White House with President Bush.
“The president was pretty cool,” he said. “Just a normal guy, just hanging out talking to everybody, with all his friends. The only difference was it was at the White House. Just a small difference. It was a lot of fun. The fireworks were cool.”
Last week, Mediate was picked for the first time to be in the LG Skins Game from Nov. 28-30, along with Phil Mickelson, Stephen Ames, and K.J. Choi.
But Mediate doesn’t want to see if the attention — or the fact the two are friends. — is enough to sway Azinger if the captain has a tough choice.
“He comes to Naples occasionally and plays at Calusa; he actually joined Calusa,” Mediate said. “So we’ve become pretty good friends.”
“Just because I was runner-up in the U.S. Open does not mean that I’m on the Ryder Cup team,” said Mediate, who played in a cancer benefit pro-am at Calusa Pines with Azinger and other pros in March. “That is not going through Paul’s head.”
Mediate will have someone on the course rooting for him — besides former Calusa Pines caddie Matt Achatz. Eric Manning, a club pro from Cortland, N.Y., played on Florida Southern’s golf team with Mediate in 1983 and 1984. Manning qualified in June as one of 20 club professionals for the PGA.
“We had a lot of fun back in the day at school,” Mediate said. “I was watching the scores at the PGA (Professional) National Championship and saw that he was up there, and it was really cool. It’s great to see him.”
What Mediate and the others will see this week is an Oakland Hills course toughened up by architect Rees Jones in preparation for the PGA. Mediate hopes that plays into his favor after his strong performance in tough conditions at the U.S. Open.
“Oakland Hills is a beast,” Mediate said last week. “Shooting a good score is 1- or 2-under par. It’s just hard. If I keep playing solid, around par is going to be good. I love that. I love the whole thing.”
“It’s a hard golf course,” he added. “Lots of funny things going on there. Hogan didn’t call it a monster for nothing.”
Comments
This site does not necessarily agree with comments posted below. Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. Break our rules, and we will ban you. No exceptions, no second chances. Read our privacy policy & user agreement.
Post your comment
(Requires free registration.)