The recent battle for the 2008 U.S. Open championship between Rocco Mediate and Tiger Woods might go down as one of the most compelling showdowns in U.S. Open history. You had the #1 player in the game staring down one of the most happy-go-lucky personalities in the game today in an amazing back and forth chess match on the very difficult Torrey Pines (South) GC in San Diego. The Monday playoff drew an incredible number of television viewers, one of the highest in professional golf history, probably because Tiger has been MAKING history ever since he joined the PGA TOUR in 1996.
The recent news about Tiger's knee and his upcoming reconstruction surgery makes his victory even more remarkable. He gutted out his 14th major championship while playing and walking on a damaged ACL and a stress fractured tibia. Talk about guts. It takes guts to make all those pressure putts but that doesn't compare to the guts and heart it takes to swing away at shot after shot knowing your knee is going to hurt.
I've got some experience with the pain part of this story as I've had both my left hip and right knee replaced in the past two years. Trying to compete on damaged joints is no fun and is extremely painful. What Tiger has accomplished so far in his short PGA TOUR career is incredible and record setting. But his win at the 2008 U.S. Open will go down in my book as his most impressive and courageous victory yet.
As far as his recovery is concerned, I am confident he will do the work needed in his rehab to be back at the top of his game in 2009. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if he were to win his first event back next year, even if it was The Masters. Nothing Tiger does should surprise us anymore.
At least that's my take...what's yours?