Rocco Mediate Qualifies for U.S. Open; Other Mocs Fall Short

Rocco Mediate qualified for the U.S. Open on Monday at Columbus, Ohio, but only after an intense playoff involving 11 players.
Mediate, who played at Florida Southern in the mid-1980s, shot 72-67 to earn one of 23 spots at the sectional qualifier played at Brookside Golf and Country Club and the Ohio State University Scarlet Course.
But Mediate, who lives in Naples, had to survive the playoff that decided the final seven spots at Columbus, one of 13 sectionals played on Monday across the nation.
Bart Bryant of Winter Garden, the younger brother of Brad Bryant of Lakeland, qualified at Columbus, the runner-up behind medalist Carl Pettersson with rounds of 69-65.
Mediate will joiner former Florida Southern teammate Lee Janzen of Orlando at the U.S. Open June 12-15 at Torrey Pines in San Diego. Janzen, a Lakeland High graduate, was exempt from qualifying.
Mediate was one of seven former FSC golfers competing in the sectionals.
Marco Dawson of Lakeland, also a teammate of Janzen and Mediate, fell short in the sectional at Cordova, Tenn. Dawson fired a 65 in the morning round, but slipped to a 74 and missed the playoff by two strokes. That qualifier was held at Colonial Country Club and Chickasaw Country Club.
Darron Stiles was one of nine players in the playoff for the final spot at Cordova, but finished third and settled for the first alternate spot. Stiles, who shot 68-69, will play in the Open if one of the 14 golfers who qualified drops out. But that's not likely.
In the sectional qualifier at Tequesta, Drew Mathews of Winter Haven shot 75-73 at the Jupiter Hills Club and fell seven shots short of a playoff for the final spot. Joey Lamielle of Sarasota earned the third and final spot at Tequesta in a lengthy playoff Tuesday morning with Julian Suri of St. Augustine and Rod Perry of Port Orange. Lamielle holed a 15-foot putt for birdie on the ninth playoff hole to advance, eliminating Suri. Perry dropped out on the third playoff hole as Lamielle and Suri made birdies.
B.J. Pitzen of Lakeland, a former Moc who advanced from the local qualifier at Lone Palm on May 5, shot 70-74 at Columbus to miss the playoff by five strokes. And Matt Stauch, an upcoming junior at Florida Southern, posted rounds of 76-78 at Columbus.
Zoran Ilic of Lakeland, a former FSC player who also advanced at Lone Palm, failed to qualify at Lake Forest, Ill. Ilic shot 77-71 at Conway Farms Golf Club, missing by seven strokes.
And former Moc Steve Sokol of Connecticut came up short at Purchase, N.Y. Sokol shot 73-72, two strokes from a playoff.
Fernando Figueroa of Chapel Hill, N.C., the medalist at Lone Palm, qualified for the Open at Springfield Country Club in Columbus, which was the site of two different sectionals. Figueroa, who fired a 10-under-par 62 at Lone Palm, shot a pair of 67s to finish third and gain one of six spots awarded.
Chip Deason of Jacksonville and Josh McCumber of Orange Park, the other two players who advanced at Lone Palm, didn't qualify. Deason shot 73-72 at Roswell, Ga., to miss by 11 strokes. McCumber carded a pair of 71s to miss a playoff by one shot at Lake Forest.