U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 17, 2001

Rocco Mediate

ROCCO MEDIATE: I can't say that on the microphone. No, I putted like a dog today, period. That was it, really. I hit shots you're supposed to hit on Sundays at Opens, I didn't putt good enough. It's that simple. Two, 3-putts on the front and missed a short one on 8, and that was the end of me, about. And 3-putt on 11. But that's what happens.

ROCCO MEDIATE: You never get it back on Sunday, it just doesn't come back, it goes away. I don't know, it was close, though. I felt good out there. I mean, I came out, started out perfect, hit all good shots, hit all first six greens, and hit it over -- first five greens, hit it almost over the bleachers on 6, I don't know what happened there. But weird stuff was going on.

ROCCO MEDIATE: It was a little messy in the left hip, but I was okay.

ROCCO MEDIATE: I felt pretty good. I just didn't have the putting speed today, I really didn't. I really didn't have the speed.

ROCCO MEDIATE: I played a low 2-iron around that bunker, but not far enough right. It was the right shot, just the wrong direction.

ROCCO MEDIATE: You don't even -- it doesn't even -- you don't notice. Unless he's 30 shots ahead like he is sometimes, then it doesn't matter. I've never really had a chance to do this well. I've never done this well. But I don't know what the difference would be, I've never been close in one where he's around. This year's Masters I was five or six back, but that was just treading water, there. But it doesn't make a difference, really.

ROCCO MEDIATE: I tried to hit a 3-iron just off the tree line. I pushed it about five yards, but it didn't bounce, just kind of died and that was dead. And that's just -- it was the wrong time for that to happen.

ROCCO MEDIATE: No, I was thinking first fairway. There was 9 holes to go, I was trying to hit that fairway, and I couldn't do it.

ROCCO MEDIATE: No. I hit a good shot to get it in the bunker, and left it 12, 15 feet.

11 I hit a good iron, the wind took it. 8-iron from -- it was a tough putt, but not that tough. Lipped out a chip on 12. Just missed birdie there.

ROCCO MEDIATE: 13 --

ROCCO MEDIATE: I tried to hit it close. I wasn't trying to finish 4th like I did, I was just trying to --

ROCCO MEDIATE: I tried to hit it close again.

ROCCO MEDIATE: Yeah.

ROCCO MEDIATE: That I can compete at this level this close. Like I said, it was just little, teeny, stupid things that killed me today. But thinking about it, I hit it about 15 feet on 15, and I'm thinking to myself, if I can birdie these last four holes, I may win out right. Just missed on 15. I thought I hit a good driver on 16, it was dead, par. A couple silly little things. Putt goes in on 15, putt goes in on 17, but it was a tough putt. All of a sudden I'm 4-under. I'm right there. And all of a sudden. Making the putt on 18 made me very angry, because it put me closer to what I can't have.

ROCCO MEDIATE: This was really good for me to do. If I can get in this position again I think I'll do better. I made a few little mistakes, mostly on the greens. I hit some bad shots, but everybody did. You can't really judge that out here. I hit a bunch of greens in a row on the front, and just a lot of little things I did wrong today that caught up with me, where I really didn't do that wrong the first three days. Or if I did, I made the putts to make up for it.

ROCCO MEDIATE: Yeah, I'm disappointed, but I'm a little bit satisfied just by the way I hung in there. I couldn't do anything today. I felt good about going out there, though. I was nervous this morning, got on the first tee, and I was fine, ready to go. I made some good swings. I did learn that my swing will work when I need it to most of the time. That was kind of neat. And once I didn't make birdie on 16 I really just wanted to get in -- one of the only four guys under par. I had nothing else to go for. I did. I did that. Actually, I did get to 2-under. But hit two good ones on 18 again. I could take away way more good things than bad things. Just a couple of bad things happened.

ROCCO MEDIATE: The 3-putt on 3. It was two and a half feet. And there was a little depression from an old hole and it caught that depression and spun it out to the right. I'm 20 feet, hit a good 9-iron out of the cut there. I don't know what happened there.