Twenty-five years in the past, the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Seaside Golf Hyperlinks in California was a celebration of the lifetime of defending champion Payne Stewart, who had died in a airplane crash lower than eight months earlier.
It was additionally a farewell to 18-time main champion Jack Nicklaus, who was enjoying in his forty fourth and closing U.S. Open.
It additionally became the coronation of Tiger Woods, who produced one of many best performances in males’s golf historical past over 4 days.
Woods arrived at Pebble Seaside Golf Hyperlinks three weeks after he’d captured his nineteenth PGA Tour victory — and fourth of the season — with a five-stroke victory on the Memorial Match, turning into the primary back-to-back winner of the occasion that Nicklaus hosted.
In truth, Woods had gained 11 of his previous 20 PGA Tour occasions, defeating Ernie Els in a playoff within the season-opening Mercedes Championship in Hawaii; coming from seven strokes behind within the closing seven holes to beat Matt Gogel by two strokes within the AT&T Pebble Seaside Nationwide Professional-Am on Feb. 9; after which working away from the sphere by 4 at Arnold Palmer’s match, the Bay Hill Invitational, on March 19.
At solely 24, Woods had develop into the primary golfer to prime $15 million in profession on-course earnings. He’d gained the 1997 Masters by a document 12 strokes and the 1999 PGA Championship at Medinah Nation Membership to get midway to the profession Grand Slam.
Woods was an awesome favourite to win once more within the U.S. Open, after he’d tied for third, two strokes behind Stewart, at Pinehurst No. 2 the earlier yr.
“If the situations are dry and windy, then it is a matter of endurance,” Nicklaus mentioned earlier than the match. “But when they’re throwing darts, then Tiger will shoot a tremendously low rating, it doesn’t matter what the situations are. And he’ll in all probability break the Open document.”
Nicklaus had set the U.S. Open 72-hole scoring document of 272 in 1980 at Baltusrol Golf Membership in Springfield, New Jersey. Lee Janzen tied the mark on the similar course in 1993.
The U.S. Open scoring document would not stand an opportunity if Woods maintained his torrid tempo.
“He had already arrived in an enormous approach in a single match [at the 1997 Masters], however that was the beginning of Tiger profitable tournaments by loads of pictures,” Stewart Cink mentioned. “Not simply profitable however like oh-my-gosh profitable, greater than 5 or 6 pictures. That is simply extraordinary contemplating how shut all of us are collectively so far as ability.”
Australia’s Stuart Appleby, a three-time PGA Tour winner on the time, assessed Woods’ possibilities of profitable extra succinctly, saying, “Tiger can be favored wherever. Put him in a parking lot and he’d be favored.”
‘By no means seen something prefer it’
As soon as Woods arrived at Pebble Seaside Golf Hyperlinks to start his preparations on Sunday, it did not take his caddie, Steve Williams, lengthy to determine that he was as soon as once more the person to beat on the Monterey Peninsula.
Three weeks earlier, Woods had competed within the Deutsche Financial institution Open in Hamburg, Germany. He had reportedly been paid $1 million to attempt to defend his European Tour title. Within the closing spherical, Woods’ second shot on No. 11 landed within the water, leading to a double bogey. He tied for third, 4 strokes behind winner Lee Westwood. It was solely the second time in Woods’ profession to that time that he did not win after having the 54-hole lead.
After watching Woods hit balls on the vary on Monday morning, Williams and Woods’ swing coach, Butch Harmon, requested him to pare down his apply routine earlier than the match began.
“We did not need Tiger to overdo it earlier than the match began as a result of each of us had by no means seen him strike the ball with such precision and simply the best way he was shaping the pictures,” Williams informed ESPN. “We did not need Tiger to play an excessive amount of earlier than the match as a result of he was so geared and able to play properly.”
Sam Reeves, one in all Harmon’s closest pals, had watched Woods’ swing from the early days of their partnership.
“I’ve by no means seen something prefer it,” Reeves informed Williams. “I’ve by no means seen him hit the ball that properly.”
Woods performed two apply rounds along with his good good friend Mark O’Meara. On the sixteenth tee field on Tuesday, NBC lead golf announcer Johnny Miller, the 1973 U.S. Open champion, joined the group.
“Johnny wasn’t satisfied that Tiger was going to be the subsequent smartest thing,” Williams mentioned. “And Mark O’Meara mainly informed him, ‘Hey, simply watch this child play for a couple of holes. This man’s going to be the perfect participant you’ve got ever seen.'”
The wind was mild and the solar was shining when Woods teed off within the first spherical Thursday morning with Sweden’s Jesper Parnevik and Jim Furyk. Pebble Seaside’s diabolic greens have been smooth and receptive for a change.
Woods placed on a clinic, carding a bogey-free 6-under 65 to take a one-stroke lead over Miguel Angel Jiménez. It was the bottom spherical ever in a U.S. Open at Pebble Seaside.
After spending a few hours on the membership’s apply placing inexperienced the night time earlier than as a result of he did not like the best way his ball was rolling on the bumpy poa annua greens, Woods one-putted 12 occasions and wanted solely 24 putts within the first 18 holes.
When Woods grabbed a share of the lead with a birdie on the 14th, Miller dropped a bombshell on NBC’s broadcast.
“I believe it may be very tight with the remainder of the sphere, however I actually do consider, I’ve obtained this hunch, that Tiger’s going to interrupt each U.S. Open document this week and perhaps win by an enormous margin,” Miller mentioned. “… I simply had the sensation that if he might get off to an incredible begin, which he has achieved, it may very well be every week that he simply says, ‘See ya, guys.'”
Golfers teeing off within the morning had a large benefit earlier than a soupy, dense fog rolled in in the course of the afternoon. Seventy-five gamers have been nonetheless on the course when play was suspended.
“He put up an excellent rating,” Sergio Garcia mentioned after the spherical. “However in the event you shoot 1 or 2 beneath, he might battle very simply on this course. You possibly can go 2 or 3 over similar to that. The match’s not over. It simply began.”
‘It is simply not a good combat’
As a result of so many golfers needed to end their opening rounds on Friday morning, Woods needed to wait till 4:40 p.m. PT to tee off within the second spherical.
By the point he was on the brink of tee off on No. 1, Nicklaus was wiping away tears as he walked up the 18th fairway for the ultimate time. He tipped his visor to the gang, which gave the Golden Bear a standing ovation after he knocked his second shot on the par-5 gap onto the inexperienced with a 3-wood. He three-putted for par.
In his closing U.S. Open, Nicklaus posted an 11-over 82. He missed the minimize with a 36-hole complete of 13-over 155.
“I believe the U.S. Open to me is an entire examination of a golfer,” Nicklaus mentioned after the spherical. “The competitors, what it does to you inside, how arduous it’s to work at it. I get pleasure from that. I benefit from the punishment.”
Nobody had as full a sport as Woods at that second. After selecting up his first bogey of the match on the fifth gap, Woods pushed his tee shot on the uphill sixth into the fitting tough. Most gamers had punched out and left their balls in need of the inexperienced.
Not Woods.
“I’ve typically mentioned the a part of Tiger’s sport that is most underrated is his play out of the tough,” Williams mentioned. “He is an exceptional participant of transferring the ball out of the tough and getting it very, very near pin excessive. He is simply obtained a freakish capability and he is very robust.”
Not solely would Woods should muscle his ball out of the tough, however he would additionally should clear a tree rising on the facet of a cliff to tug off the blind shot from about 202 yards.
When Woods requested for a 7-iron, Williams did not flinch.
“After caddying for Tiger for a short while, you typically favor him to play it protected,” Williams mentioned. “However that was one the place I knew straightaway he might get the membership on it. Whether or not he might get it to the inexperienced, I did not know. I definitely believed he might get it up over the hill.”
Woods took a violent hack at his ball, which someway cleared the cliff, landed in entrance of the inexperienced and bounced and stopped 18 toes from the cup.
NBC on-course reporter Roger Maltbie summed it up greatest on the published: “It isn’t a good combat.”
Tiger missed an eagle putt and settled for birdie.
“A tremendous shot that kind of simply set the tone for the remainder of the week,” Williams mentioned.
On the cliffside par-3 seventh, Woods hit his tee shot to five toes and sank one other birdie putt to get to eight beneath. One other birdie on No. 11 put him two strokes forward of the sphere.
After the fog returned, Woods reached the twelfth gap in close to darkness. Play was suspended shortly after he teed off, however Woods and his enjoying companions have been allowed to complete the opening.
Somebody had talked about to Woods that nobody had made a birdie on the rock-hard inexperienced the whole day. He hit a towering 5-iron shot to about 30 toes and snaked in a birdie putt he might barely see.
“Tiger loves making a press release,” Williams mentioned. “Everyone else wished to mark the ball and are available again the subsequent day. However, you recognize, Tiger likes to depart with an exclamation mark.”
Wooden was 3 beneath by way of 12 holes within the second spherical and 9 beneath within the match, giving him a 3-stroke lead over Jiménez.
“Now we have a protracted technique to go — the second spherical is not even over,” Woods mentioned. “This can be a extra demanding course than Augusta was then. I must proceed to play properly within the morning.”
The lacking golf balls
Woods was again on the driving vary at 5:07 a.m. PT Saturday morning, hitting balls beneath Harmon’s watchful eye. It was going to be an abbreviated warmup, so Woods did not have time to go to the placing inexperienced.
When Woods reached the thirteenth tee, Williams realized there was an issue.
“After we obtained to the tee, and I put my hand within the bag, there have been solely three balls,” Williams mentioned. “I did not know why; there ought to have been half a dozen.”
Woods had nonetheless been sad along with his placing stroke, so he took three balls out of his bag and putted on the carpet in his resort room the night time earlier than. He forgot to place them again within the bag.
With the best way Woods was striping the ball, Williams did not suppose they’d want greater than three over the ultimate six holes of the spherical. He determined to maintain his discovery to himself to keep away from placing strain on Woods.
On the thirteenth gap, Wooden drove his tee shot into the tough, and his mighty lash out of the tall grass scuffed his ball. He tossed the ball to a younger fan close to the thirteenth inexperienced after making par.
“The child was simply so excited, displaying his dad he is obtained a ball with Tiger’s title on it,” Williams mentioned. “And I am pondering, ‘Geez, perhaps I ought to simply get that ball again, simply in case, and have the child come and meet me on the 18th inexperienced.’
“However, I imply, you’ll be able to’t try this in entrance of all of the individuals round Tiger. He’ll go, ‘What within the hell is occurring right here?'”
Woods picked up one other birdie on the par-5 14th and carded pars on Nos. 15 by way of 17. He did not lose a ball — or give away one other one.
Nevertheless, catastrophe struck on the 18th tee when Woods pulled his drive to the left and into the rocks alongside the Pacific Ocean coast.
Tiger did not know he was down to at least one ball. If Woods misplaced the final one, he could not borrow one from his enjoying companions, both. Below the Guidelines of Golf, he needed to end the spherical with the identical kind of ball he’d been utilizing, or he’d be assessed a two-stroke penalty for utilizing a special one. He was the one golfer within the discipline utilizing Nike balls.
As Woods reached for his driver once more, Williams advised he would possibly wish to use a 2-iron off the tee.
“Tiger mentioned, ‘Get your f******g hand off that driver head cowl!'” Williams mentioned in his latest e-book, “Collectively We Roared,” which he wrote with golf author Evin Priest. “I did not wish to inform him it is our final golf ball as a result of he in all probability would have informed me to get my ass onto 17-Mile Drive and onto a Greyhound bus out of there.”
Luckily for Williams, Woods’ second tee shot was straight and located dry land. He made bogey to publish a 2-under 69. His 36-hole complete of 8 beneath left him six pictures forward of Jiménez and Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn, breaking a U.S. Open document for the biggest benefit on the midway level.
Solely 4 different golfers have been beneath par.
Woods’ dominance was starting to weigh on a few of his rivals.
“I believe you guys have to appreciate that there are 156 guys on this match,” Jiménez informed reporters. “The press thinks there’s only one man.”
‘He had extra’
Heading into the third spherical, it was all however over. Woods made one huge mistake — a triple-bogey 7 on the par-4 third after his method discovered the tough. He lastly reached the inexperienced on his fifth shot and missed the putt. Woods laughed as he walked to the fifth tee.
“That is what impressed me most and signified Tiger was in full management,” Williams mentioned in his e-book. “When did you ever see Tiger Woods snigger when he made a double- or triple-bogey? By no means.”
On a day when the wind was howling and Pebble Seaside’s greens lastly dried out, Woods managed to publish an even-par 71. At 8 beneath, he was the one golfer beneath par and a whopping 10 strokes in entrance of Els, the biggest 54-hole lead in U.S. Open historical past.
“He is on the market in his personal match, is not he?” Padraig Harrington mentioned on the time.
With the rout on, NBC Sports activities had to wonder if golf followers would watch the ultimate spherical on Father’s Day. It ended up being the alternative, as hundreds of thousands tuned in to see how low Woods would go and what number of strokes he’d win by. The ultimate two days ended up being the most-watched U.S. Open rounds since viewership was tracked beginning in 1975.
Woods carded a bogey-free 67 within the closing spherical, leaving him with a 72-hole complete of 12-under 272. He was the one golfer who completed beneath par, 15 strokes higher than Els and Jiménez, who have been 3 over.
Woods’ 15-stroke victory was the largest in main championship historical past, surpassing Previous Tom Morris’ 13-stroke win on the 1862 Open Championship. He was the primary participant within the 106-year historical past of the U.S. Open to complete double digits beneath par.
“It was an entire present with one man,” NBC golf announcer Dan Hicks mentioned. “This was historical past, and I believe individuals picked up on the truth that how can one single man be that dominant? How can one man take it to 12 beneath par and the subsequent man be plus-3? We’re by no means going to see something like that.
“I believe it was a fascination with a man at perfection in a sport which nobody actually comes near. So it is absolutely the Sistine Chapel of main championship performances, and I actually consider it would by no means be equaled.”
As Woods signed his scoring card after the ultimate spherical, he turned to Williams and requested him what the commotion was about on the 18th tee within the second spherical, when solely Williams knew that they have been all the way down to their final golf ball.
“He might see I used to be nervous, and he had a nine-shot lead,” Williams mentioned. “What would you be nervous about? He might see one thing was incorrect, however I by no means talked about it till I informed him. We laughed endlessly about that.”
Williams may also always remember what Woods informed him subsequent.
“Steve, I will play even higher on the British Open at St. Andrews,” Woods mentioned. “I would like you to get your ass over there, and I would like you to know each blade of grass on that course.”
The subsequent month, Williams went to St. Andrews in Scotland every week early. On July 23, 2000, Woods defeated Bjørn and Els by eight strokes to seize the Claret Jug, turning into the youngest golfer to finish the profession Grand Slam.
He gained the ultimate leg of the so-called “Tiger Slam” the subsequent April by accumulating a second inexperienced jacket on the 2001 Masters.
“I believe Tiger’s ability degree was the best in historical past,” Cink mentioned. “The majors recognized that to a good better extent as a result of they’d the heavy tough, and his energy overcame the heavy tough. That they had loads of size; his energy overcame that. They required endurance, and he had the perfect psychological sport and fortitude the sport has ever seen.
“They only required extra of all the pieces — and he had extra.”