Rocco Mediate Speaker Biography

Five Time Winner on the PGA Tour

Rocco Mediate began his golf career at Florida Southern College and was a member of the golf team. His close friend, PGA Tour professional Lee Janzen, another also played there. They helped lead Florida Southern to the 1985 Division II national team championship. In 1985, Mediate turned professional. 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. Rocco has won five PGA Tour events and earned over $15 million dollars. He has been featured in the top 20 of the Official World Golf Rankings and considered to be one of the best putters in golf.

In a bid to become the oldest U.S. Open champion at age 45, lost in a playoff to Tiger Woods at Torrey Pines Golf Club in La Jolla, CA. Rocco finished regulation at 1-under-par 283 and held the clubhouse lead as Woods and Lee Westwood, both one stroke back, played the par-5 18th hole. Woods made birdie to force an 18-hole playoff. In the Monday playoff, made three consecutive back-nine birdies to take a one-stroke lead to the last hole. Woods made birdie to tie and force sudden death as both players shot even-par 71s. Woods parred the par-4 seventh hole, the first sudden-death hole, as Mediate made bogey after driving into a fairway bunker and missing a 20-foot par putt. He wrote a book about the experience , called Are You Kidding Me?

When not competing on the PGA Tour, Rocco enjoys playing poker. He finished 600th out of 5,619 players in his first appearance at the 2005 World Series of Poker’s Main Event. Began playing poker in 2004.