LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Rocco Mediate: Pga Tour
built 645 days ago
Even with his good health, Mediate does not know how many more good swings he has left or how many more trophies he might claim. He has not won a PGA Tour event since 2002, when he notched the fifth title of his career and then tumbled into a cycle of injury. He dabbled in online poker and lost thousands of dollars.
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In 21 years on the PGA Tour, Mediate has only two top-10 finishes in majors. He was fourth in the '01 U.S. Open at Southern Hills and sixth in last year's U.S. Open at Pinehurst.
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Despite only hitting nine of 14 fairways, Mediate was able to recover on what is commonly regarded as one of the easier courses on the PGA Tour. He hit 16 of 18 greens in regulation and had 27 putts without a single three-putt on his way to his best round in four years.
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Mediate might not have been at Bay Hill except for a chance meeting with Palmer in December when he asked the tournament host about getting an invitation. Then, Mediate changed his mind. He asked Palmer to watch his game over the first few months of the season, and to offer him a spot if it looked as though Mediate was worthy.
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[B]ecause of his injury, Mediate was granted a minor medical exemption from the PGA Tour that allotted him eight tournaments this year to win $660,898 -- the amount necessary to equal the 125th finisher on the 2006 money list. He did it in six.
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Mediate, the 2000 champion, rolled in a 23-foot putt at the 18th hole for his eighth birdie to jump ahead of Brett Quigley and Woody Austin for the lead at one of the PGA Tour's most anticipated events. Quigley and Austin both posted 7-under-par 65s earlier in the day, and Brian Bateman matched them in a later group. There were 41 other players who shot 69 or better in perfect conditions Thursday.
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