Rocco Mediate

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American professional golfer (born 1962)

title: "Rocco Mediate" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["american-male-golfers", "florida-southern-moccasins-men's-golfers", "pga-tour-golfers", "pga-tour-champions-golfers", "winners-of-senior-major-golf-championships", "golfers-from-pennsylvania", "golfers-from-florida", "american-people-of-italian-descent", "sportspeople-from-greensburg,-pennsylvania", "sportspeople-from-naples,-florida", "1962-births", "living-people", "20th-century-american-sportsmen"] description: "American professional golfer (born 1962)" topic_path: "sports" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocco_Mediate" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American professional golfer (born 1962) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox golfer"]

Field	Value
name	Rocco Mediate
image	Rocco Mediate 2017.jpg
imagesize	200px
caption	Mediate in 2017
fullname	Rocco Anthony Mediate
birth_date
birth_place	Greensburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.
death_date
height
weight	190 lb
nationality
residence	Naples, Florida, U.S.
spouse	Jessica Mediate
children	4
college	Florida Southern College
yearpro	1985
tour	PGA Tour Champions
extour	PGA Tour
prowins	14
pgawins	6
eurowins
japwins
asiawins
sunwins
auswins
nwidewins
chalwins
champwins	5
seneurowins
otherwins	3
majorwins
masters	T15: 2001
usopen	2nd: 2008
open	T18: 1996
pga	6th: 2002
wghofid
wghofyear
award1	[Champions Tour
Rookie of the Year](champions-tour-rookie-of-the-year)
year1	2013
awardssection
::

Early life

Mediate was born in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. According to the Golf Channel, he is the son of a barber and has Italian ancestral heritage. Mediate attended Hempfield Area High School.

Amateur career

Mediate attended Florida Southern College and was a member of the golf team. His close friend Lee Janzen, another PGA Tour pro, also played there. They helped lead Florida Southern to the 1985 Division II national team championship.

Professional career

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fe/Rocco_mediate_2016.jpg" caption="Mediate in 2016"] ::

Mediate turned professional in 1985. His golfing career has been marred by back trouble. Early on, he compensated by using a long putter. In 1991 he became the first player to win on the PGA Tour using a long putter when he won the Doral-Ryder Open. He picked up another victory at the 1993 KMart Greater Greensboro Open, but he then had a long layoff due to a ruptured disk. He underwent major back surgery in 1999, but lost practically five years of his career. Back pain returned in 2004 and later nearly ended his career.

Mediate returned to the Tour in 1996 playing under a special medical extension and performed steadily. He picked up wins on the Tour in 1999, 2000 and 2002. After improving his fitness to minimize his back problems, he returned to using a conventional putter in 2003.

On October 9, 2006, it was announced that Mediate would become an on-course reporter for The Golf Channel's 2007 PGA Tour coverage.

Mediate has been featured in the top 20 of the Official World Golf Ranking and considered to be one of the best putters in golf. At the 2006 Masters, Mediate was in contention to win the event on the final day until he took a septuple-bogey ten on the par-three 12th hole. His best finish in a major championship was a second-place showing at the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines South Course. Tied with Tiger Woods at -1 after regular tournament play, then tied again at even par through the 18 hole playoff, Woods finally bested Mediate on the first hole (hole #7) of sudden death, the 91st hole of the tournament. It was only the third time a U.S. Open playoff had gone to sudden death. Mediate's performance gained him 111 spots in the world golf rankings, moving him from 158th to 47th place.

Mediate earned his first win since 2002 at the 2010 Frys.com Open by beating Bo Van Pelt and Alex Prugh by one shot. During the tournament, Mediate holed out all four days. He started on Thursday, with a hole-in-one on the 189 yard par-3 3rd hole. On Friday, he holed out from 160 yards on the par-4 4th hole for an eagle, followed on Saturday with a hole-out from 111 yards on the par-5 15th hole, also for eagle. On Sunday, he was tied for the lead on the 17th hole when he holed from 116 yards for eagle to take a two-shot lead. He parred the 18th to win the tournament. He also became the oldest wire-to-wire winner on the PGA Tour since at least 1970.

Mediate has PGA Tour career earnings of over $16 million.

Mediate joined the Champions Tour for 2013 after turning 50 and his exemption for his 2010 PGA Tour win ended. He won in his debut at the Allianz Championship, the 16th Champions Tour player to do so. After shooting a 61 in the second round, he claimed victory by two strokes over Bernhard Langer and Tom Pernice Jr. with a birdie at the last hole. He won his second Champions Tour tournament that September, at the Shaw Charity Classic. Mediate finished seven strokes ahead of runner-up, Tom Byrum.

In May 2016, Mediate won his first senior major championship at the Senior PGA Championship, with a three-stroke victory over the defending champion Colin Montgomerie. His winning total of 265 (−19) broke the previous record by three and was the first wire-to-wire victory at the event since Jack Nicklaus in 1991. His victory was sealed when he holed out from a greenside bunker on the 71st hole of regulation play for birdie.

On September 22, 2019, Mediate won the Sanford International on the PGA Tour Champions in South Dakota.

Personal life

Mediate is a distant cousin of Puerto Rico Islanders soccer player Domenic Mediate.

Professional wins (14)

PGA Tour wins (6)

::data[format=table] | No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | 1 | Mar 4, 1991 | Doral-Ryder Open | −12 (66-70-68-72=276) | Playoff | USA Curtis Strange | | 2 | Apr 25, 1993 | KMart Greater Greensboro Open | −7 (74-67-71-69=281) | Playoff | AUS Steve Elkington | | 3 | Jan 31, 1999 | Phoenix Open | −11 (69-67-66-71=273) | 2 strokes | USA Justin Leonard | | 4 | Aug 13, 2000 | Buick Open | −20 (68-64-70-66=268) | 1 stroke | USA Chris Perry | | 5 | Apr 28, 2002 | Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic (2) | −16 (68-67-66-71=272) | 3 strokes | USA Mark Calcavecchia | | 6 | Oct 17, 2010 | Frys.com Open | −15 (64-65-67-73=269) | 1 stroke | USA Alex Prugh, USA Bo Van Pelt | ::

PGA Tour playoff record (2–1) ::data[format=table]

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent	Result
1	1991	Doral-Ryder Open	USA Curtis Strange	Won with birdie on first extra hole
2	1993	KMart Greater Greensboro Open	AUS Steve Elkington	Won with birdie on fourth extra hole
3	2008	U.S. Open	USA Tiger Woods	Lost to par on first extra hole after 18-hole playoff;
Woods: E (71),
Mediate: E (71)
::

Other wins (3)

::data[format=table] | No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | 1 | Nov 21, 1999 | Callaway Golf Pebble Beach Invitational | −6 (70-76-68-68=282) | 1 stroke | SWE Annika Sörenstam | | 2 | Nov 24, 2002 | Franklin Templeton Shootout (with USA Lee Janzen) | −31 (65-60-60=185) | 1 stroke | USA David Gossett and USA Matt Kuchar, USA John Huston and USA Jeff Maggert | | 3 | Jun 24, 2003 | CVS Charity Classic (with USA Jeff Sluman) | −22 (63-57=120) | 1 stroke | USA Billy Andrade and USA Brad Faxon | ::

Other playoff record (0–1) ::data[format=table]

No.	Year	Tournament
1	2008	CVS Caremark Charity Classic
(with USA Brandt Snedeker)	USA Billy Andrade and USA Davis Love III,
USA Paul Goydos and USA Tim Herron,
COL Camilo Villegas and USA Bubba Watson	Villegas/Watson won by 1 stroke in three-hole aggregate playoff
::

PGA Tour Champions wins (5)

::data[format=table]

Legend
Senior major championships (1)
Other PGA Tour Champions (4)
::

::data[format=table] | No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | 1 | Feb 10, 2013 | Allianz Championship | −17 (67-61-71=199) | 2 strokes | DEU Bernhard Langer, USA Tom Pernice Jr. | | 2 | Sep 1, 2013 | Shaw Charity Classic | −22 (63-64-64-191) | 7 strokes | USA Tom Byrum | | 3 | May 29, 2016 | Senior PGA Championship | −19 (62-66-71-66=265) | 3 strokes | SCO Colin Montgomerie | | 4 | Sep 22, 2019 | Sanford International | −9 (69-68-64=201) | 2 strokes | USA Ken Duke, USA Bob Estes, SCO Colin Montgomerie | | 5 | Oct 6, 2024 | Constellation Furyk and Friends | −12 (67-66-71=204) | Playoff | USA Bob Estes | ::

PGA Tour Champions playoff record (1–0) ::data[format=table]

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent	Result
1	2024	Constellation Furyk and Friends	USA Bob Estes	Won with par on second extra hole
::

Results in major championships

::data[format=table]

Tournament	1984	1988
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open	CUT
The Open Championship
PGA Championship		T31
::

::data[format=table]

Tournament	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1996	1998	1999
Masters Tournament		T22	T37					T27
U.S. Open		CUT	T44	T25	WD			T34
The Open Championship		CUT	T45	T39		T18		CUT
PGA Championship	T69	T16	T40	T68		T36	CUT	T49
::

::data[format=table]

Tournament	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
Masters Tournament	T52	T15	T36	T33	CUT		T36			T49
U.S. Open	T32	4	T37	CUT		T6	CUT		2	T47
The Open Championship	T52	WD	T47						T19
PGA Championship	WD	T66	6	T18	CUT			WD	72
::

::data[format=table]

Tournament	2010	2011	2016
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open	CUT
The Open Championship
PGA Championship		WD	CUT
::

CUT = missed the half-way cut

WD = Withdrew

"T" = tied

Summary

::data[format=table]

Tournament	Wins	2nd	3rd	Top-5	Top-10	Top-25	Events	Cuts made
Masters Tournament	0	0	0	0	0	2	10	9
U.S. Open	0	1	0	2	3	4	15	9
The Open Championship	0	0	0	0	0	2	9	6
PGA Championship	0	0	0	0	1	3	17	11
::

Most consecutive cuts made – 8 (1991 PGA – 1993 PGA)
Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (four times)

Results in The Players Championship

::data[format=table]

Tournament	1987	1988	1989
The Players Championship	T50	CUT	T11
::

::data[format=table]

Tournament	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999
The Players Championship	T11	T15	CUT	T6		T55	T4	CUT	T57	CUT
::

::data[format=table]

Tournament	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
The Players Championship	CUT	T65	3	T45			T58	T44	T54	T60
::

::data[format=table]

Tournament	2010	2011
The Players Championship		T54
::

CUT = missed the halfway cut

"T" indicates a tie for a place

Results in World Golf Championships

::data[format=table]

Tournament	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2008
Match Play	R64	R64		R32	R32	R64
Championship			NT1	T24
Invitational		WD		T15	T16		T52
::

1Cancelled due to 9/11

QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play

WD = Withdrew

"T" = tied

NT = No Tournament

Senior major championships

Wins (1)

::data[format=table]

Year	Championship	54 holes	Winning score	Margin	Runner-up
2016	Senior PGA Championship	2 shot lead	−19 (62-66-71-66=265)	3 strokes	SCO Colin Montgomerie
::

Results timeline

Results not in chronological order before 2022. ::data[format=table]

Tournament	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025
The Tradition	35	T6		T38	T42	T8	T12	NT		T40	T65	WD
Senior PGA Championship	T20	WD	T26	1	CUT	T64	T12	NT	T23	WD	T63
Senior Players Championship	T22	T22	T26	78	T60	T20	T63	T67	T7	T17	T32	T21	T57
U.S. Senior Open	T3	T26	T20	CUT	CUT	T14	T47	NT	T52	T18	CUT	T12	CUT
Senior British Open Championship	T18		T40					NT
::

CUT = missed the halfway cut

WD = withdrew

"T" indicates a tie for a place

NT = no tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic

U.S. national team appearances

Professional

UBS Cup: 2003 (tie)
Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge (representing PGA Tour): 2000 (winners), 2008

References

(August 11, 2000). "Transcript of Rocco Mediate news conference - Buick Open".
link. (December 28, 2007)
(October 17, 2010). "Rocco Mediate wins Frys.com Open". ESPN.
(October 17, 2010). "Frys.com - Round 4 notebook". PGA Tour.
"Rocco Mediate – Performance Stats". PGA Tour.
(February 10, 2013). "Rocco Mediate 16th winner in debut". ESPN.
Inglis, Martin. (May 30, 2016). "Colin Montgomerie: 'I did nothing wrong'".
(May 29, 2016). "Mediate closes strong, wins Senior PGA Championship". Champions Tour.
"Baylor Bears Player Bio – Carmine Mediate".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::