Rocco Mediate’s head swiveled about as he walked up the fairway of the sudden-death hole of the U.S. Open on Monday. Somebody would catch his attention, and his eyes would dart over and he’d wave or make a crack. Tiger Woods’s gaze, on the other hand, remained fixed on the ground, a few feet ahead of his steps. He was, as always, locked in, focused and self-contained.
The fans greeted Mediate with fraternal affection and Woods with reverence. Most were probably rooting for Rocco, but only because Woods, the inevitable victor, has risen above mere human status and become an embodiment of immortal excellence. That frozen gaze of his looks out from airport billboards, TV commercials and the ad pages. And its ubiquity is proof that every age finds the heroes it needs.
In a period that has brought us instant messaging, multitasking, wireless distractions and attention deficit disorder, Woods has become the exemplar of mental discipline. After watching Woods walk stone-faced through a roaring crowd, the science writer Steven Johnson, in a typical comment, wrote: “I have never in my life seen a wider chasm between the look in someone’s eye and the surrounding environment.”
I confess I was pulling for Rocco. Tiger is a phenom – best in the world, but I surely was hoping the “old” guy would win. The announcers kept referring to Rocco’s Cinderella story. I found myself thinking about David and Goliath. Finally, while Tiger may have won, Rocco has emerged as the real story.
It was a great tourney, though, wasn’t it? Rocco was wonderful to watch, a real man of humility. Tiger was, well, what more can be said? Unbelievable. I watched every second of every day and am I glad I did!
I was at Torrey Pines for the U.S. Open, and followed Rocco’s group around the course for the first 2 days of the tournament. He attracted a boisterous admiring crowd, and he seemed to really enjoy interacting with the folks. On one particularly tough approach shot in Round 2, he was in the rough about 2 feet from the cart track, and was just hilarious as he engaged with those of us standing around him commiserating about the lie in the tall grass, before firing his shot onto the green.
“I have never in my life seen a wider chasm between the look in someone’s eye and the surrounding environment.â€
I seem to remember that look in my loving husband’s eyes at dinner time when we had 3 crazy, tired, messy, and whiny little ones!!
I am in awe of this guy, as anyone who plays golf must be. Love to watch golf on TV – Kind of like watching a James Bond movie and putting yourself in there. Only in my dreams . . .
Would that orthodox Anglicans and other Christians could be as focused as purposeful as Tiger.
#4, How fortunate you and your husband are, to “concentrate” on each other while still taking care of necessities and yet keeping life’s priorities in order! Perhaps a more difficult and likely even more rare sort than the awesome concentration Tiger Woods displays on the golf course.