Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate’s 18-hole playoff was about as thrilling as it could get. In my office, several colleagues huddled around a single computer trying to catch the live stream. This became a common sight all over the country.
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But what if Tiger had missed his birdie putt on the closing hole on Sunday, and Westwood had made his? Would the casual golf fan be interested in a Westwood-Mediate showdown? Mark Cannizzaro of The New York Post said last night on the Grey Goose 19th hole:
I hate to criticize the USGA after it put on such a fantastic US Open this past week, but what I am hoping is that the USGA did not get seduced by this 18-hole playoff to the point where it decides to continue this format. Because it’s an archaic format that needs to be changed. I hope that the USGA realizes that they got very lucky that Tiger Woods was involved in this thing.
I honestly hope the USGA keeps it going. A major championship of this magnitude should not be decided by three or four holes. The USGA shouldn’t compromise due to television ratings or a lack of Tiger or Phil--and I’m confident they won’t.
