(2009) Are You Kidding Me?: The Story of Rocco Mediate's Extraordinary Battle with Tiger Woods at the U.S. Open. By Rocco Mediate and John Feinstein. (ISBN: 0316049107 / 0-316-04910-7)

Book Description: Little, Brown & Co., New York, 2009. Stated First Edition May 2009, number line on copyright page reads 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1. Charcoal Gray Hard Cover Boards and Spine with White Text. This is a First Edition remainder book which is new and never used. 322 pages, color photos, 6.25" x 9.5" tall, 1" thick. New copy - Never read - Not price clipped. Beautiful copy of book and dust jacket. COLLECTOR'S COPY.

Book Condition: Brand New.

Dust Jacket Condition: Brand New. NON price-clipped DJ [$26.99 US].

About This Book: An account of the dramatic competition between Rocco Mediate and Tiger Woods during the 2008 US Open traces the events that led to a sudden-death showdown, evaluating the ways in which the golf world was changed by the five-day event.

Synopsis: June 2008's US Open produced one of the most unexpected and dramatic showdowns in golf history. Day after day the invincible Tiger Woods was challenged by Rocco Mediate, a respected journeyman. On Sunday, both ended play tied at par, forcing a playoff. Defying expectations, Mediate played Woods to yet another tie, losing only after forcing a sudden-death showdown.

Rocco Anthony Mediate (born December 17, 1962) is an American professional golfer with multiple PGA Tour wins.

Early years: Mediate was born in the Pittsburgh suburb of Greensburg, Pennsylvania. According to the Golf Channel, he is the son of a barber and has Italian ancestral heritage. 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.

Career: 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.

Mediate has been featured in the top 20 of the Official World Golf Rankings 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, and automatic berths in the next four majors.

Mediate earned his first win since 2002 at the 2010 Frys.com Open by beating Bo Van Pelt and Alex Prugh by one shot. The win secures Mediate's tour card for the next two years. 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.

Through the end of 2010, Mediate had PGA Tour career earnings of $16,413,964.

Other activities: 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 played in the 2005 World Series of Poker's Main Event, as well as the 2001 Blem Classic of Las Vegas.

Personal life: Mediate is a distant cousin of Puerto Rico Islanders soccer player Domenic Mediate. He is a member of the Calusa Pines Golf Club and resides in the Tuscany Reserve subdivision in Naples, Florida.

John Feinstein (born July 28, 1956) is an American sportswriter, author and sports commentator who wrote the top two best-selling non-fiction sports books in history, A Good Walk Spoiled and A Season on the Brink.

Early life: Feinstein was born in New York City, July 28, 1956. His father was heavily involved in the arts having been the General Manager of the Washington National Opera from 1980 to 1995 and was also the first Executive Director of the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.

Education: Feinstein received his bachelor's degree from Duke University in 1977.

Books: Feinstein's works include the two top best-selling non-fiction sports books in history. In 1995, he published the all-time best seller, A Good Walk Spoiled, about a year inside life on the PGA Tour as told through the stories of seventeen players. Just behind that in sales is his book A Season on the Brink, which chronicles a year in the life of the Indiana University basketball team and its enigmatic coach, Bob Knight.

Film: A Season on the Brink was adapted to film with an ESPN production of a made-for-TV movie of the same title. It starred Brian Dennehy in the role of Bob Knight. During its original airing on ESPN on March 10, 2002, the film was presented uncensored for profanity, while a censored version was simulcast on ESPN2. The film was also released to DVD later in 2002. Feinstein's book Caddy for Life: The Bruce Edwards Story was released in 2004. In the book Feinstein writes about the life and final days of Tom Watson's caddy, Bruce Edwards, who had been diagnosed with ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.) Feinstein and his long-time friend Terry Hanson engaged the William Morris Agency and commissioned a screenplay in conjunction with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's production company, Live Planet. The script was optioned by Disney, who considered either ABC or ESPN, but eventually decided to pursue the project. In 2010, Caddy for Life was produced in documentary format for the Golf Channel.