The eighteenth hole hasnrsquot been this silent in days

It just took a few years for us to realize that in the National Football League, that alone is not enough. It is my true belief that Peyton Manning himself could not have succeeded with the group that Smith originally inherited. Alex Smith still very well could be the franchise quarterback that this organization has been searching for since the retirement of Steve Young.How was it missed that the offense sputtered during the first half of most games under the “running scheme” but when faced with a big deficit to overcome and the need to start airing it out, looked unstoppable I can’t have been the only one that noticed this, can I Did it really take Jimmy Raye that long to figure this out, or was he just too stubborn to switch things upI may never know the answers to some of these questions, but I can at least take solace in one thing: against the Jags at least, it appeared that a change was made in the right direction. . The eighteenth hole hasn’t been this silent in days. The events that have transpired during the last week have been chalk-full with enough excitement to keep the grandstands roaring from tee-off all the way up until the last pairing enters the clubhouse. But at this particular moment no one is making any sort of sound.

Tiger Woods, arguably the greatest player in the history of golf, is standing over a twenty foot birdie putt that would put him in a tie for first place with Rocco Mediate. Such an occurrence would force an eighteen hole playoff round to decide the winner, and there is a sense among all those who are watching that the outcome of this situation is all but inevitable.The waves crashing to shore in the distance serve as the only reminder that there is still a world beyond the green grass of Torrey Pines at this particular moment; although no one here is concerned with that world, or those waves. After grueling minutes of anticipation as Tiger stares down the putt of his life, he addresses his golf ball. There is absolutely nothing in his demeanor to indicate that this putt is any different from the other millions upon millions of strokes he has taken with his putter during his lifetime, but this little ball carries with it the beginning of one of the greatest stories in golf’s long and rich history. No sooner than Tiger’s putter makes contact with his ball, the shouts of “In the hole!” and “you da man Tiger!” start pouring in from the grandstands. The line is good, the speed is good, and of course he is Tiger Woods. No other golfer will ever match the intensity or the ebullience of Tiger Woods.

The whole world knows they have just witnessed a remarkable feat of perseverance. And, as if it couldn’t get any better, this was only the beginning. Rocco Mediate was the 157th player on the money list going in to the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines country club, just outside of Los Angeles, California. One can only assume that he had no idea of the history that he would have a hand in making during the week he was there competing. Rocco was in the club house, already finished with his round, when Tiger sunk his putt on number 18. Watching on the TV screen, Rocco simply said, “I knew he’d make it. Mediate is noted for being one of the nicest guys on the Tour, and didn’t let the magnitude of the moment keep him from cracking a joke on the first tee.

Tiger - who had not hit the fairway on hole number one during any of the four rounds prior to the playoff - striped his drive right down the center. Rocco joked saying “Oh, so now you decide to hit this fairway!” however; the light-heartedness of the day only lasted so long.Tiger had been in visible pain all week long, wincing after powerful swings and hobbling off of tee-boxes, but only now, in the middle of the Monday playoff, was the general public finding out that Woods was playing with a torn anterior collateral ligament and hairline fracture in his left leg The tournament was quickly given legendary implications. The likeable, easy-going underdog was pitted against the crippled and injured goliath of golf, and had already tested the limits of his perseverance. The storylines all came together to set the perfect stage for an epic finish.Through 9 holes of play, Woods kept Rocco at bay for the most part, making the turn with a 2 stroke lead.