U.S. Open Playoff Live-Blog: Holes #1-9

I hope you get a chance to watch this rare treat yourself but in case you're at work I'm going to try to give you as much video and play-by-play as I can. ESPN has the first nine holes from about 12pm until 2pm and then NBC will take it the rest of the way. Should be fun!

Hole #1:

Mediate is on the tee and he slams one right down the left side of the fairway. Tiger is up now and is looking to keep this one anywhere near the fairway.....oh he gets a nice kick out of the rough into the fairway. Both laugh and head off for their 18.

Hicks and Miller are on the call for ESPN and it they'll be on the case the whole day. Greaaaaat. Gary Kock, Bob Murphy, Roger Maltbie, Mark Rolfing, and Jimmy Roberts are your leftovers from the weekend. The other thing to note is both players are wearing almost the exact same outfit. Black pants and red shirt. Might be some head games (HEAD GAMES!) from Mediate there.

Rocco's second is from 177 and lands in the bunker and Tiger's goes within twenty below the pin. Mediate gets out of the sand and puts it past by about four feet. Tiger's putt from 20....not really close. And ouch. Rocoo misses his par. Tiger taps in and we're off to #2.

Scores: Woods- E, Mediate- +1

Hole #2:

Both players drive into the rough on either side of the fairway and ESPN goes to an interview with Mediate and Jimmy Roberts that has no sound. Just birds chirping.

"Wanna apologize to the ESPN listeners out there apparently you were not able to hear the interview. WE were able to hear Jimmy's interview with Rocco, but uh, it was good. They're all good, trust us."- Dan Hicks

Let's start the blame game! Tiger's second comes up short of the green in the rough and Rocco's is way right in the rough. Bad shots by both. Mediate chips it close and he'll have an easy putt for Par. Tiger puts it short and he'll have a little longer go at it. Woods drills his putt and so does Mediate.

I like to pretend in this interview that Rocco really is chirping like birds. (Via Stevie D)

I need the video of Mediate talking and no actual audio from the interview, just the ESPN overlay of generic bird sounds. I just about pissed myself. How could they never fix the audio? The announcer's didn't even here it... must've been perfect over at Torrey Pines. (Via Zak)

Coming shortly.

You think Rocco is working on a sponsorship from Starbucks? On the interview sans sounds, he was holding a Starbucks cup and taking sips inbetween questions. (Via Anon)

Scores: Woods- E, Mediate- +1

Hole #3:

Our first Par 3 and Tiger is hitting a seven iron. He sinks it straight into the front bunker. That ball is buried in the sand. Mediate's six iron....OHHHHHH! Just missed a hole in one by 2 inches!

"It's plugged in there pretty deep."- Roger Maltbie

Tiger chips out of an impossible san lie and leaves himself about a 10 footer. No good and Woods will bogey #3 and that'll be a two stroke swing.

Does anybody else want to decapitate the people who feel the need to yell "Get in the hole!!!111" after every single shot? (Via CJ)

So annoying.

Scores: Woods- +1, Mediate- E

Hole #4:

Par 4, 488 yards: Rocco hits it into the left rough on the drive and might be in a little trouble, Tiger follows with one of his own to the left and they're right next to each other. Tiger's second from 288 ....short in front of the bunker on the left.

"He's choking way down on something here John."- Roger Maltbie

Ooooh and Rocco breaks out a hybrid! He nails it on to the green. Great shot. Tiger's third is chipped right up next to the hole...beautiful. Mediate misses left but is right outside Tiger's Par putt. Both drain their gimmies, but Rocco makes an adventure of his. Rocco leads by one heading into hole five.

Scores: Woods- +1, Mediate- E

Hole #5:

Mediate hits his drive well right and he's in the deep stuff. Both players aren't driving well at all today. Until now....Woods hits it right down the middle.

"Looks like Tiger is waiting for the blimp to get out of the way."- Dan Hicks

Stupid Snoopy....get out of Tiger's way. Tiger's second from 169 yards and is a little below his feet. He hits it well left on the green and it draws back some. About 30 feet away. Mediate is actually in the bunker and is just going to blast it out. Uh oh! He hits the cart path twice!!! He's over by the third tee way past the hole!!!!

Mediate is all the way into the hay on the left of the green. He's got an okay lie and scoots it past the green onto the fringe. Wait, it inexplicably rolls back on the green. Great shot. His Par will be from about 10 feet, while Tiger's Birdie will be from 25 or so. Oooh...close but he slides it just by on the right.

Rocco just misses and he'll Bogey five, Tiger taps in and we're tied.

Scores: Woods- +1, Mediate- +1

Did Johnny Miller attend the Madden school for telestrating? (Via Anon)

Yeah he's way off with those arrows. FYI, the interview vid is up....god those fake bird noises are annoying.

Hole #6:

Par 4, 501 Yards: Tiger is away and his drive goes over the tree to the right of the dog leg right and after he sticks his tongue out....it sits right in the middle. Look out Rocco. Mediate's shot is spanked as well and his ball will come up about 25 yards behind Woods' drive in the middle of the Fairway. Now we're playing!

Ooh I was close with the yardage. 23 yards further and Rocco is up.....his ball is going right and he's on the fringe well past the hole. Tiger's got 185 to the hole and he's hitting an eight iron (that's just sick). STICKS IT! Within five feet.

Rocco follows with a heck of a shot of his own. He chip the ball way left and then heads down a ridge towards the hole. He's within Tiger's putt. Woods from five below the hole.....good! And that's he's first birdie. Not an easy tap either. Rocco makes his left to righter and Tiger leads by one.

Scores: Woods- E, Mediate- +1

Hole #7:

Par 4, 463 Yards: Tiger's up first again.....DRILLED! Straight down the middle. He's on point today. Mediate's drive kicks right and is in the short rough. Commercial break.

I don't know what's worse... that I took the half day to come home and watch, or that I could have stayed at work and followed along with AA... oh the hell with it, i've got the grill going too. Is it sad that I miss Dottie Pepper? Has anyone ever said that? (Via Anon)

Great call with the grill. Today's a day that you have to take off work. I'm thoroughly enjoying this live-blog. And I'm with you in regards to Pepper. She's a little nuts, but solid on the course. Okay we're playing again....

Mediate's second is pin high but well right. He's got about 35-40 to go. Tiger's got 145 to the hole....AND AGAIN! He's within about 10 feet right below the hole.

FYI....Mediate's almost hole in one back on three is up. Sorry for the delay and I promise the vids will be coming quicker from here on out. Mediate's putt on seven is juuuuust short and he'll finish with Par. Tiger's got a good look at birdie and he's looking it over from every angle.

He sinks it! Two shot lead for Tiger.

Scores: Woods- -1, Mediate- +1

Not to go all 'ESPN Featured Comment of the Day' on you, but if Tiger keeps driving it like this, Rocco will have to play out of his mind to win. (Via CJ)

Huh Murph? Huh Murph? Huh Murph? (Via Hollywood Wags

Miller just completely ignores Hicks doesn't he? He goes to everyone else on the course before the lead.

Hole #8:

Par 3, 171 Yards: Tiger changes up clubs on the tee and is well past the hole into the back bunker.

"When you're playing you have to focus on your strengths, not the other guy's advantages."- Johnny Miller

Oh really? Mediate has an opening now and his tee shot is well short of the green in the little slice of fairway in front. Commercial break.

If Tiger wins, I hope you rips the shirt off of Rocco and yells "Red is my color, punk!" (Via Nick)

That's Tiger Woods' Music!

What's the over/under for awkward high-fives/hand-slaps between Tiger and his caddy? 4? 5? (Via Pete)

I think we're at three already. Tiger is out of the bunker and he shoots it all the way back over the green next to Rocco's ball. Mediate puts it a little ways past the hole, and he's got a tough downhiller for his par. Mediate also shot very quickly so Tiger couldn't really get a look....good move. Tiger is just following Rocco now and they're in the exact same spot again. Tiger is away and he's.....got it. Bogey for Woods. Mediate with the same putt.....good. One stroke lead for Woods.

Scores: Woods- -1, Mediate- E

RE: Rocco's red shirt... I remember when one of the Euro players (or maybe Baddley) wore red playing the final round with Tiger to "psyche himself up"... then got DEMOLISHED...I see Rocco wearing it more along the lines of... "I was too tired to do laundry, it it was my last clean shirt" (Via Anon)

Hey...did you guys know there's a US Open playoff today and Tiger Woods is playing in it? I haven't heard about it all day, and I thought I'd let everyone know.(Via Adiadb)

I hadn't heard.

Hole #9:

Par 5, 612 yards: Rocco is right down the middle and he needed that one. Woods is in the fairway on the left with a huge shot, but he has his first grimace of the day after the drive. Ouch. He felt that one. Commercial break.

Mediate is trying to layup, but he ends up in the rough to the right about 50 yards away. Tiger's breaking out the five wood to get to the green. He's walking after it and he's in the bunker to the left...short but with a good lie. Mediate is up and he hits one....OOOH right over the hole. Miller points out that because of the rough there is no spin and it's about 12-15 feet past the whole. Tiger from the bunker....

WOW! Tiger duffs one and it's buried in the rough short of the green!!! Tiger's fourth is a short chip and he's within six feet or so.....ESPN is switching over and I'm going to start a new thread as well after this hole, which isn't over yet. Very annoying because NBC is still showing All My Children or something like that.

Hi Bob Costas!!! Tiger saves Par after Mediate missed his Birdie. HE MISSES! Ouch!!!! Rocco will be down by two now. That was painful. See you in the new thread.