Why weren't fans rooting for Rocco?

As sports fans, we're trained to love the underdog. We adore the David vs. Goliath match-up. We crave the upset. We root against dynasties and traditional powerhouses because of it.

With one exception: Tiger Woods. We love Tiger Woods.

We, admittedly, are not golf fans and know little about the game, so when we watched the captivating playoff round of yesterday's U.S. Open (by far the most golf we've ever watched in one sitting), we were puzzled to see the crowd at Torrey Pines so behind Tiger when his competitor, Rocco Mediate, was the classic underdog: a low-ranked 45-year-old no-name who had never won much of anything and seemed like the nicest guy in the world.

We had our David vs. Goliath story. The upset was in the making. It would be the perfect ending to a great tournament. But, as an ESPN.com poll proved, nearly 66% of voters were rooting for Tiger.

If Tiger is the Yankees or Patriots of golf, why the support? Why the love? Why is his fandom so universal? Why does he trump our most practiced principle in sport: root for the underdog?

Help us understand. Please!