GOLF : Mediate Wins Playoff for First Tour Victory

After six years of trying, Rocco Mediate finally won his first PGA tournament Monday with a sudden-death victory over Curtis Strange in the rain-delayed Doral Open.

Mediate, the tour’s most consistent player this year and now the season’s leading money-winner, made an eight-foot putt for birdie on the first playoff hole. Strange missed a 15-foot birdie try.

“I got in position today, and today I finished it,” said Mediate, who uses a putter with a 49-inch shaft. “I thought first, ‘You’ve done enough.’ Then I thought, ‘Nawww. . . .’ ”

Mediate’s victory came after Sunday’s play was postponed with the leaders having completed nine holes.

“I’ve worked for this for six years,” Mediate said. “I’ve hit four billion drives like that playoff hole. I expected it (victory) soon. I didn’t know how it would happen, but I’m not surprised.”

Mediate is one of the few pros using the unorthodox putter, more popular among the senior tour players. But since he went to the long putter, he hasn’t finished worse than 13th.

In his other five starts this season, he tied for ninth twice, was sixth in another and fourth in the other. With his victory, worth $252,000, Mediate has earned $403,824. He also leads in stroke average (68.62).

Mediate was among the 22 players stranded on the Blue Monster course at Doral after Sunday’s downpour. He had a birdie four on the 12th, the first hole he played after play resumed Monday, then caught Strange, who had a 67, with two 10-foot birdie putts on the 71st and 72nd holes of regulation. He had a closing round of par 72 and a 276 total.

The two went to the par-five first hole for the playoff, which Mediate said he had trouble recalling.

“I was in a daze,” he said.

Neither could reach the green in two. Mediate pitched to within eight feet and Strange to within 15 feet. After Strange missed, Mediate ran in the winner.

Andy Bean and Russ Cochran, who shared the lead when play was halted Sunday, missed theplayoff by a stroke, at 11-under 277.