If you haven't been following the U.S. Open that's currently in a playoff round between Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate (Tiger leads by one stroke after six holes at the moment), you may not be aware that Mediate is an avid amateur poker player who participated in the 2005 World Series of Poker Main Event.  That was the tournament where local poker player Steve Dannenmann finished second and won $4.25 million.  Australian Joe Hachem won the event and made $7.5 million.

Mediate did well in the poker tournament (photo) but just missed cashing.  However, here is Mediate in an interview with the New York Daily News three years ago in a conversation that is prescient about what's happening today.

Mediate : "Let me put it to you this way, If I had won the U.S. Open it would have paid me a million dollars, and probably another $3-$5 million off the golf course in the next couple of years. When I come here to the World Series of Poker, I have an opportunity to win - what's it going to be $7, $8, $9 million? That's to play cards. That is unbelievable. It's bigger than the United States Open as far as how much money you can make."

Right now, I think Mediate would settle for the U.S. Open.