Unlikely Hero Rocco Mediate Needs a (Short) Break From Tournament Golf

When Rocco Mediate sat down in January to map out his 2008 schedule, I'm pretty sure he figured that, barring an asteroid strike, he'd be teeing it up at this week's Travelers Championship in Connecticut. The 45-year-old five-time PGA Tour winner had a rough 2007, and was in no position to pick and choose the tournament's he'd play.

Ten days ago, Mediate was the 158th in the world rankings, and had to play a qualifier just to get into the U.S. Open. Ninety-one holes later, he's renewed interest in the game in a way Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia and every other "threat to Tiger Woods' legacy" never could. Pretty amazing, actually.

But after the unlikeliest of weeks for Mediate, he won't be taking his new-found fame and sunny disposition to the Travelers.

Mediate, 45, whose last appearance at the Cromwell tournament was in 2005, said he was pulling out because he had just finished "a very busy week," tournament spokeswoman Anne Marie McLaughlin said Monday. ...

"He had a great run out there, and hopefully we'll see him here in the future," McLaughlin said Monday.

It's easy to say that Mediate's professional life has changed overnight, but Ben Curtis and Todd Hamilton would disagree, I think. Mediate was an established tour player before Torrey Pines, so there's no reason to think he'll suddenly disappear after coming out of nowhere, but he only has five years before "graduating" to the Champions Tour.

For now, though, he's currently the second-most popular player in golf, and definitely No. 1 among the 40-and-over set.