Rocco Mediate was a fan favorite when he played on the PGA Tour, both because of his usual traits and the way he connected with the galleries. He also stole some of the spotlight and endeared himself to millions of golf fans when… he lost to Tiger Woods in the 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines.
Mediate famously struggled with Woods in the playoffs – Tiger drained his iconic 72nd-hole putt to force extra holes – and lost to Woods on the first extra hole after Monday’s 18-hole playoff.
Today, 62-year-old Mediate lives on the PGA Tour Champions, where he won once in 19 starts last season. He recently joined GOLF’s Subpar podcast to discuss his PGA Tour career, his U.S. Open matchup with Woods and more. He also explained an important lesson he learned from the golf legend Arnold Palmer.
Mediate is well known for being one of the best personalities in the game, but he said that wasn’t always the case. He said he used to be shy, but eventually got over it. One meeting with Palmer when Mediate was just 19 years old helped.
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“Mr. Palmer taught me one thing,” she told Mediate. “I sat in his office a million times and he said, ‘Look people in the eye.’ He said, ‘If they’re stupid enough to come and watch you play golf, You better give them something in return. He kicked my ass. Just say hello to them. I don’t care where you are give. So I learned how to do it. He taught me how to do it To be“
As for his own game, Mediate also finished in the top 10 five players last season and continues to enjoy every second of his time in the game.
“I was lucky to be able to do what I do, and I’m still lucky because we get to go to the greatest places in the world, play with the best players, and they even still pay us, which is cool,” he said. “And we make people want to watch us play. I’ve always liked it. So, as you know, at heart we are just show-offs – and that’s what we try to do. We try to show them how good we are, and the more people around, the more I like it.
You can listen full Subpar podcast hereor watch the video below on YouTube.
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