Rocco Mediate played his heart out in the final round at Torrey Pines -- but then again, so did Tiger. Who has enough heart left?(Pensinger/Getty Images)

But with age comes wisdom, which is why Rocco Mediate -- 45 years, 7 months old -- wasn't going to get excited just yet. Only one thing stood between him and the greatest triumph of his golfing career -- a 12-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole. Unfortunately for Mediate, it was about to be stroked by the No. 1 player on the planet, Tiger Woods.

By now we all know that the putt dropped -- they have a long and well-documented history of doing that when Tiger is holding the wand and needs it most. This particular one jumped, bumped and bounced for all 12 feet until it looked as though a hand reached out of the right side of the cup and yanked it into the bottom of the hole.

However, this putt wasn't for a win, but to force an 18-hole Monday.

So now we have Tiger Woods vs. Rocco Mediate. On paper it's the biggest mismatch since Wood Chipper vs. Tree Branch. But don't go thinking Tiger will make mulch out of Rocco that easily.

Think there's no way Rocco will win? Perhaps. He certainly has a few things going against him: 1) He's facing Tiger Woods; 2) Since the inception of the Official World Golf Ranking in 1986, no player outside of the top 100 has ever won the U.S. Open, and Mediate currently sits at No. 157 (Steve Jones was No. 99 when he won in 1996); 3) He's too old; 4) He's a short hitter, and at 7,643 yards, this is the longest course in U.S. Open history; and 5). Did we mention he's facing Tiger Woods?

"If we get in a fight, yeah, I have a problem," Mediate explained. "He's for sure going to kick my butt. But we're just going to play golf. It shouldn't stop me from being able to play. I'm sure Tiger will tell you the same thing.

"I posted a number, and it didn't stop him from posting the same number; you have to do that. ....He had to birdie 18 to get through to tomorrow."

Good point. Rocco was the first to post 1 under. The heat was on, and he forced Tiger to make a miraculous birdie -- even if the Golf Gods had already decided it was dropping. Still, by not making birdie on the par-5 18th, he gave what Tiger described as the "very fortunate" opening.

"Roc could have easily birdied 18 and put it out of reach," Woods noted.

Make no bones about it; Rocco is a long shot -- and a big one at that. But wasn't it just last Saturday in the Belmont Stakes that a 37-to-1 named Da'Tara denied the almighty Big Brown the third jewel of the Triple Crown?

In that vein, here are five reasons Rocco could shock the world and win on Monday:

1. He has nothing to lose. You've always got to look out for a guy with nothing to lose -- there's even a song about it by Bob Dylan. Rocco has had a nice career, but a loss on Monday wouldn't affect his "legacy" so to speak.

2. That surgically repaired left knee is bothering Tiger big time. There were instances in the final round -- especially after a double bogey, bogey start -- where it didn't look as though he'd even be able to finish the final round. The knee has been leaned on for 72 holes over four days. Now he has to go an extra 18 on it. Five days, 90 holes -- it may be too much.

3. Rocco is loose. We know he's an avid fan of Texas Hold 'Em and has taken lessons from former World Series of Poker champion Greg "The Fossilman" Raymer, so maybe the cool-as-a-cucumber demeanor is Rocco's best poker face.

4. Accuracy off the tee. Tiger has been all over the place with his driver and has spent much of the tournament in the deep stuff. And he's not blaming the knee for it. "Just terrible swings," he said. Rocco, on the other hand, is nowhere near as long as Tiger, but his accuracy could be the great equalizer.

5. And finally, this is what Rocco wanted. He wanted a piece of Tiger, said so himself after Saturday's third round. If you're going to win a major championship, don't you want to beat the best? Two years ago Rocco was trying his luck as an on-course golf reporter for GOLF CHANNEL. Now he's in an 18-hole playoff at the U.S. Open against arguably the greatest player ever to play the game. He's in the Tiger cage.

As far as chances go, the only thing you can be certain of is our chances of seeing a worthy and deserving champion no matter who hoists the hardware.