Torrey Pines: Memories and a Reminder

I read Bob Harig's piece on Rocco Mediate (the most popular major runner-up ever) making his 2010 return to to the PGA Tour and Torrey Pines. Apparently Rocco is still being thanked for what he did at the '08 U.S. Open and there are warm and fuzzy feelings abound. That tournament was a whale as majors go and I still think the second nine on Saturday was the greatest prelude to a major Sunday I have ever seen. Rocco pushed Woods to make that jumpy fifteen footer on the seventy-second hole and then pushed Woods into extra holes after the Monday playoff. All great stuff.

The Monday playoff is why Torrey Pines conjures up not only great memories, but a very negative reminder. It reminds me that I hate the Monday playoff system in the U.S. Open. I know hate is a strong word, but I've thought it over just now and I most certainly hate the Monday playoff.

There are two major problems with this major playoff system. For starters it happens on a Monday and lots of people work on Mondays. People like say, me, in 2008. You have just watched an amazing weekend of major championship golf, perhaps at the risk of marital stability, and you are essentially given the "to be continued..." of sport. Monday's work day ends and you flick on the television to see
Tiger closing out Mediate with a par on the 19th hole of the day. Sigh.

The second problem is that it's 18-holes of stroke play to decide the winner. Of course the 18-hole format is why they have to wait to play on Monday so one problem facilitates the other. A few holes of stroke play or a sudden death deal are the only ways to go. I shouldn't have to steal a glimpse of a .com leaderboard on a ten minute delay to find out how the premier major in the world is finishing out.

Had the 2008 U.S. Open finished on Sunday it would probably have supplanted the 2000 PGA as the best major championship I have ever seen. The real kicker is that the playoff was just as good as the weekend play, but I saw none of it live and that killed it for me. So, to the USGA, please consider reformatting the U.S. Open playoff system. I would prefer to never again see a major championship finale in "recap" form.