Held twenty-five years ago, the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links in California paid tribute to defending champion Payne Stewart, who had died in a plane crash less than eight months earlier.
It also marked the farewell appearance of 18-time major champion Jack Nicklaus, participating in his 44th and final U.S. Open.
Furthermore, the tournament became the stage for Tiger Woods` coronation, as he delivered one of the most exceptional performances in the history of men`s golf over the four-day event.
Woods came to Pebble Beach Golf Links just three weeks after securing his 19th PGA Tour win, and fourth of the season, with a five-stroke margin at the Memorial Tournament. This victory made him the first player to win Nicklaus` hosted event in consecutive years.
Indeed, Woods had been in formidable form, winning 11 of his previous 20 PGA Tour starts. His recent triumphs included defeating Ernie Els in a playoff at the Mercedes Championship in Hawaii, a remarkable comeback from seven strokes down over the final seven holes to beat Matt Gogel by two at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am on February 9, and a dominant four-stroke victory at Arnold Palmer`s Bay Hill Invitational on March 19.
At the young age of 24, Woods was already the first golfer to surpass $15 million in career prize money. He had previously won the 1997 Masters with a record 12-stroke lead and the 1999 PGA Championship at Medinah Country Club, placing him halfway to completing the career Grand Slam.
Woods entered the U.S. Open as the overwhelming favorite, having finished tied for third, just two strokes behind Stewart, at Pinehurst No. 2 the year prior.
Jack Nicklaus commented before the tournament:
“If the conditions are dry and windy, then it’s a matter of patience. But if they’re throwing darts, then Tiger will shoot a tremendously low score, no matter what the conditions are. And he’ll probably break the Open record.”
The U.S. Open 72-hole scoring record of 272 was set by Nicklaus in 1980 at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, New Jersey, and tied by Lee Janzen at the same course in 1993.
If Woods maintained his blistering pace, the U.S. Open scoring record seemed unlikely to survive.
Stewart Cink remarked:
“He had already arrived in a big way in one tournament [at the 1997 Masters], but that was the start of Tiger winning tournaments by a lot of shots. Not just winning but like oh-my-gosh winning, more than five or six shots. That’s just unheard of considering how close all of us are together as far as skill.”
Australia`s Stuart Appleby, then a three-time PGA Tour winner, offered a more concise assessment of Woods` chances:
“Tiger would be favored anywhere. Put him in a car park and he’d be favored.”
`Never seen anything like it`
Upon arriving at Pebble Beach Golf Links on Sunday to begin preparations, Woods` caddie, Steve Williams, quickly recognized that Tiger was, once again, the player everyone else would need to overcome on the Monterey Peninsula.
Three weeks prior, Woods had played in the Deutsche Bank Open in Hamburg, Germany, reportedly receiving $1 million to defend his European Tour title. In the final round there, a double bogey resulted from his second shot landing in the water on the 11th hole. He finished tied for third, four strokes behind winner Lee Westwood. This marked only the second occasion in Woods` career up to that point where he held a 54-hole lead but did not convert it into a victory.
Observing Woods hit balls on the practice range Monday morning, both Williams and Woods` swing coach, Butch Harmon, advised him to reduce his practice intensity before the tournament began.
Williams explained:
“We didn’t want Tiger to overdo it before the tournament started because both of us had never seen him strike the ball with such precision and control over shot shaping. He was so finely tuned and prepared to play exceptionally well, we wanted to avoid him doing too much beforehand.”
Sam Reeves, a close friend of Harmon`s who had observed Woods` swing since the early days of their collaboration, also commented.
Reeves told Williams:
“I’ve never seen anything like it. I’ve never seen him hit the ball that well.”
Woods played two practice rounds alongside his good friend Mark O`Meara. On Tuesday, at the 16th tee box, they were joined by NBC lead golf announcer Johnny Miller, the 1973 U.S. Open champion.
Williams recalled:
“Johnny wasn’t entirely convinced that Tiger was destined to be the game’s next dominant force. Mark O’Meara essentially told him, `Just watch this kid play for a few holes. This guy is going to be the greatest player you’ve ever witnessed.`”
On Thursday morning, Woods began his first round with playing partners Jim Furyk and Sweden`s Jesper Parnevik under light wind and sunny skies. Uncharacteristically, Pebble Beach`s notoriously challenging greens were soft and receptive.
Woods delivered a masterclass performance, carding a bogey-free 6-under 65 to establish a one-stroke lead over Miguel Angel Jiménez. This round set a new record for the lowest score ever recorded in a U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.
Following a couple of hours spent on the practice putting green the previous evening, refining his stroke due to dissatisfaction with how his ball rolled on the bumpy poa annua surfaces, Woods recorded twelve one-putts and needed only 24 total putts during the first round.
As Woods moved into a share of the lead with a birdie on the 14th hole, Johnny Miller made a bold prediction during the NBC broadcast.
Miller stated:
“I think it’s going to be very tight with the rest of the field, but I really do believe, I’ve got this hunch, that Tiger’s going to break every U.S. Open record this week and maybe win by a big margin… I just had the feeling that if he could get off to a great start, which he has done, it could be a week that he just says, `See ya, guys.`”
Players with early tee times enjoyed a considerable advantage before a thick, dense fog enveloped the course in the afternoon. Play was suspended with seventy-five golfers still on the course.
After the round, Sergio Garcia commented:
“He put up a very good score. But this course is challenging; if you’re only 1 or 2 under, he could easily struggle. You can drop 2 or 3 over par instantly. The tournament isn’t over; it’s just begun.”
`It`s just not a fair fight`
Due to numerous players needing to complete their opening rounds on Friday morning, Woods faced a lengthy wait, teeing off for his second round at 4:40 p.m. PT.
As Woods prepared to tee off on the 1st hole, Jack Nicklaus was concluding his round, visibly emotional as he walked up the 18th fairway for the last time. He saluted the crowd, who gave the `Golden Bear` a standing ovation after he hit his second shot onto the green on the par-5 using a 3-wood. He finished with a three-putt par.
In his final U.S. Open appearance, Nicklaus carded an 11-over 82, missing the cut with a 36-hole score of 13-over 155.
Reflecting after his round, Nicklaus stated:
“I think the U.S. Open to me is a thorough examination of a golfer. I enjoy the challenge it presents internally, the difficulty of the effort required. I enjoy that; I enjoy the punishment.”
At that time, no one possessed a game as complete as Woods. After recording his first bogey of the tournament on the fifth hole, Woods drove his tee shot on the uphill sixth into the right rough. Most players in that situation would play a conservative punch shot, leaving the ball short of the green.
Woods, however, was different.
Williams remarked:
“I’ve often commented that Tiger’s ability from the rough is the most underrated aspect of his game. He is phenomenal at advancing the ball from heavy rough and getting it incredibly close to pin high. He possesses a truly remarkable skill and significant strength.”
To execute the blind shot from approximately 202 yards, Woods needed not only to muscle the ball out of the thick rough but also to clear a tree positioned on the side of a cliff.
When Woods called for a 7-iron, Williams remained unfazed.
Williams explained:
“After caddying for Tiger for a while, you sometimes hope he’ll choose a safer shot. But on this occasion, I immediately knew he could make solid contact with the ball. Whether it would reach the green, I wasn’t sure. But I was confident he could get it up and over the hill.”
Woods swung aggressively at the ball, which miraculously cleared the cliff, landed short of the green, and bounced forward, finishing just 18 feet from the hole.
NBC on-course reporter Roger Maltbie perfectly encapsulated the moment during the broadcast: “It`s just not a fair fight.”
Woods missed the eagle putt but tapped in for birdie.
Williams described it as “An incredible shot that effectively set the tone for the remainder of the week.”
On the scenic cliffside par-3 seventh, Woods hit his tee shot to within 5 feet and holed the birdie putt to reach 8 under par. Another birdie on the 11th extended his lead to two strokes over the field.
As the fog returned, Woods reached the 12th hole as darkness approached. Play was suspended shortly after his tee shot, but Woods and his playing partners were permitted to finish the hole.
Woods had been informed that no player had made a birdie on the firm green all day. He hit a high 5-iron shot that came to rest about 30 feet away and then sank a lengthy birdie putt he could barely see through the gloom.
Williams commented:
“Tiger enjoys making a statement. While everyone else wanted to mark their balls and resume the next day, Tiger preferred to finish with an exclamation mark.”
Through 12 holes of his second round, Woods was 3 under, bringing his tournament total to 9 under and giving him a three-stroke lead over Jiménez.
Woods stated:
“There`s still a long way to go – the second round isn`t even finished. This course is more challenging than Augusta was at that time. I need to maintain good play tomorrow morning.”
The Case of the Missing Golf Balls
Woods was back on the driving range at 5:07 a.m. PT on Saturday, practicing under the supervision of Harmon. His warmup was abbreviated, leaving no time to visit the putting green.
Upon arriving at the 13th tee, Williams discovered a problem.
Williams recounted:
“When we reached the tee and I checked the bag, there were only three golf balls. I couldn`t understand why; there should have been at least half a dozen.”
The previous night, Woods had still been dissatisfied with his putting stroke, so he had taken three balls from his bag to practice putting on his hotel room carpet, forgetting to return them.
Given Woods` excellent ball-striking, Williams didn`t anticipate needing more than three balls for the remaining six holes of the round. He chose not to mention the discovery to Woods to avoid adding any pressure.
On the 13th hole, Woods drove into the rough, and his powerful swing from the thick grass scuffed the ball. After making par, he tossed the damaged ball to a young fan near the green.
Williams recounted:
“The child was ecstatic, showing his father the ball with Tiger`s name. I thought, `Perhaps I should retrieve that ball, just in case, and arrange for the child to meet me at the 18th green.`”
But, he added:
“You can`t possibly do that in front of everyone surrounding Tiger. He`d wonder what on earth was happening.”
Woods then made another birdie on the par-5 14th and recorded pars on holes 15 through 17, neither losing a ball nor giving another one away.
However, a potentially disastrous situation arose on the 18th tee when Woods pulled his drive left into the rocks bordering the Pacific Ocean coast.
Woods was unaware he was down to his final ball. Losing it would mean he couldn`t simply borrow one from his playing partners, as the Rules of Golf require completing the round with the same type of ball, otherwise incurring a two-stroke penalty. Woods was the only player in the field using Nike balls.
As Woods instinctively reached for his driver again, Williams suggested using a 2-iron off the tee instead.
In his book `Together We Roared,` co-authored with Evin Priest, Williams quotes Tiger`s response:
“Get your f******g hand off that driver head cover!”
Williams added:
“I certainly didn`t want to inform him that it was our very last ball, as he likely would have told me to get myself onto 17-Mile Drive and find a Greyhound bus out of town.”
Fortunately for Williams, Woods` second attempt found the fairway. He went on to make bogey, finishing his round at 2-under 69. His 36-hole total of 8 under par established a six-stroke lead over Jiménez and Denmark`s Thomas Bjørn, setting a new U.S. Open record for the largest lead after 36 holes.
Only four other players in the field were under par at the halfway point.
Woods` commanding lead was clearly beginning to affect some of his competitors.
Jiménez commented to reporters:
“I believe you all need to recognize that 156 players are competing in this tournament. It seems the press believes there`s only one.”
`He had more`
Entering the third round, the outcome felt almost certain. Woods did make one significant error – a triple-bogey 7 on the par-4 third hole after his approach shot found the rough. He finally got onto the green with his fifth shot and missed the subsequent putt. Notably, Woods was seen laughing as he walked to the fifth tee.
Williams wrote in his book:
“That moment impressed me the most and truly demonstrated Tiger`s complete control. When else did you ever see Tiger Woods laugh after making a double or triple bogey? Never.”
On a day characterized by strong winds and finally firming Pebble Beach greens, Woods still managed an even-par 71. His total remained at 8 under, making him the only player under par for the tournament and extending his lead to a massive 10 strokes over Els – the largest 54-hole lead in U.S. Open history.
Padraig Harrington remarked at the time:
“He`s playing in his own separate tournament, isn`t he?”
With the outcome seemingly decided, NBC Sports initially questioned whether golf fans would tune in for the final round on Father`s Day. The reality was quite the opposite; millions watched eagerly to see how low Woods would score and by what margin he would win. The final two rounds became the most-watched U.S. Open rounds since viewership tracking began in 1975.
Tiger Woods lifts the trophy after winning the U.S. Open.
Woods completed the final round with a bogey-free 67, resulting in a 72-hole total of 12-under 272. He was the sole player to finish the tournament under par, ending 15 strokes clear of Els and Jiménez, who tied for second at 3 over par.
Woods` 15-stroke victory margin was the largest in major championship history, exceeding Old Tom Morris` 13-stroke win at the 1862 Open Championship. He was also the first player in the 106-year history of the U.S. Open to finish the tournament double digits under par.
NBC golf announcer Dan Hicks commented:
“It was a one-man show. This was history, and I believe people grasped the sheer magnitude of one individual`s dominance. How can one player reach 12 under par when the next closest is plus-3? We will truly never witness anything like that again.”
He continued:
“I think the fascination lay in witnessing someone achieving perfection in a game where nobody else comes close. This performance was the absolute Sistine Chapel of major championship displays, and I genuinely believe it will never be matched.”
As Woods signed his scorecard following the final round, he turned to Williams and inquired about the cause of the fuss on the 18th tee during the second round, a moment when only Williams knew they were down to their final golf ball.
Williams recalled:
“He noticed I was nervous, despite having a nine-shot lead by that point. What would you be nervous about? He could tell something was amiss, but I didn`t reveal it until later. We laughed about it endlessly afterward.”
Williams also recalls Woods` subsequent comment vividly.
Woods told him:
“Steve, I am going to perform even better at the British Open at St. Andrews. I want you to get yourself over there, and I want you to know every blade of grass on that course.”
The following month, Williams traveled to St. Andrews, Scotland, a week in advance. On July 23, 2000, Woods indeed captured the Claret Jug, defeating Bjørn and Els by eight strokes and becoming the youngest player to complete the career Grand Slam.
The next April, he completed the `Tiger Slam,` winning a second green jacket at the 2001 Masters to hold all four major championships concurrently.
Cink stated:
“I believe Tiger`s skill level was the greatest in history. Major championships highlighted this even further because they featured challenging heavy rough, which his power could overcome. They were long courses, which his power also conquered. They demanded patience, and he possessed the finest mental game and resilience the sport has ever witnessed.”
He concluded:
“Majors simply required more of every aspect of the game – and he simply had more.”
Jasper Hawthorne