Everybody loves Rocco

If you weren't paying attention Sunday, or as most typically are, were busy watching everything NFL, it was a very rare day on the PGA Tour usually reserved for guys named Tiger or Phil. This time it was Rocco. Rocco Mediate, the 47-year-old journeyman and a fan-favorite for his loving, laid back, talkative approach to the game, picked up his sixth PGA Tour win — his first in some eight years — in improbable fashion. It looked like your typical Sunday collapse once the Golf Channel started airing it. Mediate entered the day with a 3-shot lead which quickly evaporated after he consistently missed putts from five and six feet. So, he basically stopped using it. Mediate holed his pitching wedge from 116 yards on the par-4 17th for eagle to take a two-shot lead heading into the final hole. It came after he finally made a putt on the par-3 16th for birdie, the first putt outside of a tap-in all day. Mediate had four eagles for the tournament, none of which came with the use of a putter. He had a hole-in-one on the par-3 third Thursday, holed it from 160 yards Friday on the par-4 fourth, and he did it again from 111 yards Saturday on the par-5 15th. I had the pleasure of interviewing Rocco for the Salem News a few years ago at the Bridgestone Invitational in Akron not long after his famous 73-hole playoff duel with Tiger Woods in the 2008 U.S. Open. "The greatest thing about my life is being able to do what I do for a living," he said. Well congrats, Rocco. Because for the next two years you're going to still be kickin' it around on the PGA before you make the move to the Champions Tour. See you again next year in Akron, my friend.