There is much to be gleaned from Rocco Mediate's second-place finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, not the least of which was a final-round 67 on a windy day when only four players bettered par.

To be sure, his performance at the tournament named for his friend and fellow Western Pennsylvania professional golfer was more than just his best finish in nearly four years on the PGA Tour. And it did more than just reinforce his long-held notion that, when healthy, Mediate, 44, can compete with the likes of Vijay Singh, Phil Mickelson and, yes, even Tiger Woods.

Most important, though, for Mediate was this: By winning $594,000 for finishing second to Singh at Bay Hill, he earned enough money to regain full exempt status for the 2007 season.

"I feel great about it," said Mediate, a Greensburg native who lives in Naples, Fla. "The first part of my plan came through. The medical exemption was a big deal."

And Mediate said he is going to take advantage of the opportunity.

"I'm going to play more golf this year than the last five or six years," he said. "I've been waiting four years to feel this good. I'm going to play a full schedule."

Mediate has not done that in the past, averaging just 21 tournaments each of the past four seasons. Last year, hampered by another back injury, he played in only 18 events, including just six after the U.S. Open. He won $144,899 and finished 206th on the 2006 money list.

But, because of his injury, Mediate was granted a minor medical exemption from the PGA Tour that allotted him eight tournaments this year to win $660,898 -- the amount necessary to equal the 125th finisher on the 2006 money list. He did it in six.

With his frantic final-round flurry that included a dazzling flop shot for eagle at the sixth hole, Mediate has earned $750,650 in six starts this season, more than enough to regain his playing privileges. What's more, it has vaulted him from 108th to 21st on the 2007 money list and moved him from No. 285 to No. 96 on the Official World Golf Ranking.

"I know when I'm healthy I can play with these guys," Mediate said. "I knew I would be OK if I were healthy, and I'm healthy now ... very healthy. I knew my golf swing would hold up as long as my back was better. I've hit the ball so good the last couple weeks."

Still, Mediate was not eligible to play in the World Golf Championships-CA Championship that began yesterday at Doral. He will not be eligible to play in the Masters unless he wins next weekend at the Shell Houston Open.

His year began slowly with missed cuts at the FBR Open in Phoenix and the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. But friends steered him to a new physical therapist, Cindy Hilsman, in Los Angeles, and the results have been dramatic.

He shot a final-round 68 to finish ninth at the Nissan Open and win $135,200, then won $21,450 at the Honda Classic with a final-round 67 at the very difficult Champions Course at PGA National. That propelled him to his performance in Orlando, Fla., where he opened with 66-65 and held the 36-hole lead on a field that included Woods and Mickelson.

Even after shooting a third-round 76, Mediate remained undaunted.

"I thought I was going to win the golf tournament when I woke up," Mediate said. "It was windy, the greens were firm and fast and I was striking the ball well. I had a feeling I was going to have a chance. I had a feeling I was going to get into contention."

Mediate was playing in the limited-field tournament only because he was invited by Palmer, the tournament host whom Mediate first met when he was 16.

Despite a bogey at the final hole that left him two shots behind Singh, Mediate was given a hug by Palmer when he walked to the scoring trailer. Mediate finished at 6-under 274, his best finish since he was second at the 2003 Deutsche Bank Championship.

"Arnold put me in the tournament," Mediate said. "A lot of great things happened because of what he did."