p>The winner called it the best victory of his career. The loser called it the greatest moment of his.

The 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines was a classic. Playing on a ruptured knee and enduring the pain of stress fractures in his leg, Tiger Woods defeated Rocco Mediate after 19 playoff holes to win his 14th major championship.

Mediate (PGA Tour)

"I think this is probably the best ever," Woods said after his epic victory. "All things considered, I don't know how I ended up in this position, to be honest with you."

Woods did it with little to no practice for two months and defying his doctor's orders to not play.

"I'm playing in the U.S. Open, and I'm going to win," he told the doctor and swing coach Hank Haney.

Woods overcame his own erratic play and a 45-year-old with his own history of health issues. Woods double-bogeyed the first hole at Torrey Pines three times that week but made up for it with spectacular eagle putts and birdie chip-ins that lit up the prime time broadcasts on the East Coast.

"I hit a lot of good shots, hit a lot of bad ones, but I putted great all week," Woods said. "I just hung in there, stayed patient, and that's one of the things I was very proud of is that I was able to stay very patient the entire week. With everything I had to deal with through that week, to stay that focused for all 18 holes each and every shot, I was very proud of that."

Said Mediate: "What he did to even get into the playoff was all miracles, even for him. The putts he made the last day, it was ridiculous."

Woods' climactic 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole Sunday induced a Tiger roar and an 18-hole playoff with the gregarious Mediate the next day.

On Monday morning, 25,000 spectators poured onto the Pacific cliffside course.

"I remember every moment; the smells, the sounds," Mediate said. "It was just the coolest thing I've ever seen. And the people there wanted to see him be beaten. I don't care what he or anyone says, they did. When it became a match, it was just ridiculous how it all unwound."

Mediate rallied from three shots down after 10 holes to take a one-shot lead after the 15th. But Woods birdied the 18th hole again to force sudden death.

Mediate, who woke up that morning believing he was going to beat the world's No. 1 golfer, bogeyed the extra hole and was left with an embrace from the champion and adoration from his new legion of fans.

"Honestly, it was an unbelievable gutsy performance," Woods said of Mediate. "He played so well, he put so much pressure on me all day. It was a great battle all day and also a great friendship, too."

Said Mediate: "It meant everything. Everybody watched because they wanted to see Tiger, but then they got to see a pretty good competition there for about 41/2 hours. It made me believe more. It wasn't that I lost because I played bad or three-putted. I just got beat by an amazing, miracle-performing person."

Woods limped away with a major win that he ranked ahead of his breakthrough romp at the 1997 Masters and his 15-stroke runaway at the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.

Mediate left with a defining moment in a career. Would he be satisfied if he left the stage with that as his enduring achievement?

"Yeah, because it was him," Mediate said. "If it was anybody else, a huge disappointment. Huge. No disrespect, but they're not Tiger.

''I said the night before (the tournament started) that I want a shot at this guy somehow. I didn't think it would be in a frickin' playoff in the U.S. Open, which is the coolest thing that ever happened to me."

Reach Scott Michaux at (706) 823-3219 or scott.michaux@augustachronicle.com.