By John Oehsern
Florida Times-Union sports writer
Morris News Service

PONTE VEDRA BEACH - The words left Rocco Mediate's mouth, and behind them were lips smiling wide as could be.

``No pain whatsoever,'' he said.

Could words sound nicer?

Not to Mediate they couldn't. He shot 66 Saturday, making the Players Championship leaderboard briefly when he finished 7-under. That, Mediate said, was nice, but couldn't touch the feeling he has whenever he swings without wince or twinge.

``All I think about every day is I am lucky,'' said Mediate, a Ponte Vedra Beach resident. ``I'm lucky to be playing again. When I go out there, obviously I'm trying to shoot a low score, but I'm just trying to enjoy it, because I almost didn't have it anymore.''

Mediate sat on a cart by the 18th green as he spoke. Occasionally, he moved to demonstrate a swing. Once, asked about his house on the Stadium Course, he leaned back and pointed toward it, and sat up straight again quickly.

No wince. No twinge.

No pain whatsoever, and considering the back problems that kept him out most of last season and nearly ended his career, it's easy to see why he enjoyed talking about workouts -- he worked on a slide and stairclimber for an hour and half after a 25-hole Friday -- as much as low scores.

``I'm having my own personal battles out there,'' he said. ``Obviously, I want to do well, but every day I play out there is my own personal victory. It's more of a nonchalant attitude. I care a lot. Believe me, I'm grinding out there, but I'm not living and dying every shot anymore.''

Mediate had surgery on July 12, 1994 -- ``about 4 o'clock'' he said, laughing -- to repair a herniated disk. He woke up from the surgery in Shands Hospital in Gainesville, and his surgeon, Arthur Day, told him he had 18 months before he would be free of pain.

``When I woke up from surgery, I thought it was all over,'' Mediate said. ``I was like, `Why did I go this? I thought it was going to be much better.' The pain I had before was gone, but I couldn't move for a month.''

Eighteen months later, Mediate tied for sixth early this year at the Phoenix Open, and has made three of four cuts since. He shot 74 Thursday, struggling with a new swing caused by the back, but shot 69 Friday. Yesterday, he made seven birdies, one bogey and went home to another workout with a chance to compete for the lead today.

``I'm starting to play well,'' Mediate said. ``Things are going like I want. I know I'm going to put the work in. I know my body's not going to hurt anymore. I know I'm going to be fit. I don't know how I'm going to play, but those other things give me a good chance to play well.''