Twenty-five years ago, the 2000 U.S. Open held at Pebble Beach Golf Links in California was a poignant event. It served as a tribute to the late defending champion Payne Stewart, who had tragically died in a plane crash less than eight months prior. It also marked the final U.S. Open appearance for 18-time major champion Jack Nicklaus, participating in his 44th championship.
However, the tournament ultimately became a monumental moment for Tiger Woods, who delivered one of the most exceptional performances in the history of men`s golf over the four days.
Woods arrived at Pebble Beach just three weeks after securing his 19th PGA Tour title, his fourth victory of the season, with a dominant five-stroke win at the Memorial Tournament. This made him the first player to win Jack Nicklaus` hosted event in consecutive years.
In fact, Woods had been in phenomenal form, winning 11 out of his previous 20 PGA Tour events. His wins included defeating Ernie Els in a playoff at the Mercedes Championship, staging a remarkable comeback from seven strokes down in the final seven holes to beat Matt Gogel at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, and cruising to a four-stroke victory at Arnold Palmer`s Bay Hill Invitational.
At the young age of 24, Woods was the first golfer to exceed $15 million in career on-course earnings. He had already claimed the 1997 Masters with a record 12-stroke margin and the 1999 PGA Championship at Medinah, placing him halfway to achieving the career Grand Slam.
Given his recent success and previous near-miss (tying for third, two strokes behind Stewart in the 1999 U.S. Open), Woods was the overwhelming favorite at Pebble Beach.
Commenting before the tournament, Jack Nicklaus predicted, “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 and tied by Lee Janzen in 1993, both at Baltusrol Golf Club.
Many felt that if Woods maintained his blistering pace, that scoring record wouldn`t stand a chance.
Stewart Cink reflected on Woods` arrival, stating, “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.”
Australian pro Stuart Appleby concisely summarized the sentiment, saying, “Tiger would be favored anywhere. Put him in a car park and he`d be favored.”
A Performance Like No Other
From the moment Woods began his preparations at Pebble Beach, his caddie, Steve Williams, recognized that his player was in peak form and the man to beat.
Weeks prior, Woods had tied for third at a European Tour event in Germany, failing to convert a 54-hole lead for only the second time in his career at that point.
After watching Woods practice on the range, Williams and swing coach Butch Harmon advised him to scale back his practice before the tournament. Williams told ESPN, “We didn`t want Tiger to overdo it… both of us had never seen him strike the ball with such precision and just the way he was shaping the shots… he was so geared and ready to play well.”
Sam Reeves, a close friend of Harmon, who had witnessed Woods` swing development, commented to Williams, “I`ve never seen anything like it… I`ve never seen him hit the ball that well.”
Woods played practice rounds with his friend Mark O`Meara. On Tuesday, NBC`s lead golf announcer Johnny Miller, a former U.S. Open champion, joined them on the 16th tee. Williams recalled, “Johnny wasn`t convinced that Tiger was going to be the next best thing. And Mark O`Meara basically told him, `Hey, just watch this kid play for a few holes. This guy`s going to be the best player you`ve ever seen.`”
The first round on Thursday started with light wind and sunshine, offering receptive conditions on Pebble Beach`s challenging greens. Woods delivered a masterclass, posting a bogey-free 6-under 65, the lowest first round ever in a U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, taking a one-stroke lead.
After dedicating extra time to practice putting the night before, Woods needed only 24 putts and one-putted 12 times in the opening round.
When Woods birdied the 14th to share the lead, Johnny Miller made a bold prediction on the NBC broadcast. “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.`”
Later in the afternoon, dense fog rolled in, suspending play with many golfers still on the course. Sergio Garcia, after his round, remarked, “He put up a very good score. But if you shoot 1 or 2 under, he could struggle very easily on this course. You can go 2 or 3 over just like that. The tournament`s not over. It just started.”
“It`s Just Not a Fair Fight”
Due to the previous day`s suspension, Woods had a late tee time for the second round. As he prepared to start, Jack Nicklaus was finishing his final U.S. Open round, walking up the 18th fairway to a standing ovation, missing the cut with a score of 13-over 155. Nicklaus reflected on the tournament`s difficulty, saying, “I think the U.S. Open to me is a complete examination of a golfer… I enjoy that. I enjoy the punishment.”
At that moment, no one`s game was more complete than Woods`. After dropping his first bogey of the week on the fifth hole, his tee shot on the uphill sixth went into the right rough. Most players would cautiously punch out, but Woods faced a difficult shot: from 202 yards, uphill, out of thick rough, needing to clear a tree on a cliff.
When Woods asked for a 7-iron, Williams wasn`t surprised. Williams noted Woods` often-underrated skill from the rough, calling him a “phenomenal player of moving the ball out of the rough and getting it very, very close to pin high. He`s just got a freakish ability, and he`s very strong.”
Williams believed Woods could make contact and clear the hill, even if reaching the green was uncertain. Woods took a powerful swing; the ball cleared the cliff, landed short, and bounced to within 18 feet of the cup. NBC`s Roger Maltbie perfectly captured the moment on air: “It`s not a fair fight.” Woods missed the eagle putt but tapped in for birdie.
Williams called it “An amazing shot that sort of just set the tone for the rest of the week.”
On the cliffside par-3 seventh, Woods hit his tee shot to 5 feet and sank another birdie. A birdie on the 11th put him two strokes ahead.
As fog returned, Woods reached the 12th hole in near darkness. Play was suspended, but Woods and his playing partners were allowed to finish. Having heard no one had birdied the hard green all day, Woods hit a high 5-iron to about 30 feet and made the long putt he could barely see.
Williams commented, “Tiger loves making a statement. Everybody else wanted to mark the ball and come back the next day. But, you know, Tiger likes to leave with an exclamation mark.”
Woods finished his second round at 3 under through 12 holes, bringing his total to 9 under and his lead over Miguel Angel Jiménez to three strokes. Despite the lead, Woods remained focused, saying, “We have a long way to go – the second round isn`t even over. This is a more demanding course than Augusta was then. I need to continue to play well in the morning.”
The Missing Golf Balls
Woods was back on the driving range early Saturday morning under Butch Harmon`s supervision. His warmup was brief, leaving no time for putting practice.
Arriving at the 13th tee, Williams discovered a problem: only three balls were in the bag, instead of the usual half dozen. Woods had taken three balls out to practice putting in his hotel room the night before and forgotten to return them.
Given Woods` solid play, Williams didn`t anticipate needing more than three balls for the final six holes of the round and decided not to mention the shortage to Woods to avoid creating pressure.
On the 13th, Woods drove into the rough. His powerful swing scuffed the ball. After making par, he tossed the damaged ball to a young fan. Williams admitted thinking about asking the fan for the ball back but realized he couldn`t cause a scene in front of Woods and the crowd.
Woods played Nos. 14 through 17 in par, not losing or giving away another ball. However, on the 18th tee, disaster nearly struck when Woods pulled his drive left towards the rocks along the coast.
Unaware he was down to his last ball, Woods reached for his driver again. Williams suggested a 2-iron. Williams recounted Woods` strong reaction in his book, implying he wasn`t receptive to advice. Williams chose not to reveal the one-ball situation, fearing Woods` reaction.
Fortunately, Woods` second tee shot was straight and found the fairway. He made bogey to finish the round at 2-under 69. His 36-hole total of 8 under par gave him a six-stroke lead over Jiménez and Thomas Bjørn, setting a U.S. Open record for the largest halfway advantage. Only four other players in the entire field were under par.
Woods` overwhelming performance was starting to affect his competitors. Jiménez noted to reporters, “I think you guys have to realize that there are 156 guys in this tournament. The press thinks there`s just one guy.”
He Simply Had More
Entering the third round, the outcome seemed a foregone conclusion. Woods did make one significant error, a triple-bogey 7 on the third hole after finding the rough. However, he laughed as he walked to the next tee, a reaction Steve Williams highlighted in his book as a sign of Woods` complete control, stating he had never seen Tiger laugh after a double or triple bogey before.
On a windy day when Pebble Beach`s greens finally firmed up, Woods managed an even-par 71. At 8 under, he remained the sole player under par, holding a commanding 10-stroke lead over Ernie Els, the largest 54-hole advantage in U.S. Open history.
Padraig Harrington famously remarked, “He`s out there in his own tournament, isn`t he?”
With the tournament essentially decided, there was concern about viewership for the final round on Father`s Day. However, the opposite happened; millions tuned in, fascinated to see how low Woods would go and his final margin of victory. The final two rounds became the most-watched U.S. Open rounds since tracking began in 1975.
Woods closed with a bogey-free 67 in the final round, finishing with a 72-hole total of 12-under 272. He was the *only* player under par, triumphing by an astonishing 15 strokes over Els and Jiménez, who finished at 3 over.
This 15-stroke victory margin was the largest in major championship history, surpassing Old Tom Morris` 13-stroke win at the 1862 Open Championship. Woods was also the first player in the 106-year history of the U.S. Open to finish double-digits under par.
NBC golf announcer Dan Hicks described it as “a complete show with one guy. This was history… how can one single guy be that dominant? How can one guy take it to 12 under par and the next guy be plus-3? We`re never going to see anything like that… It`s the absolute Sistine Chapel of major championship performances, and I really believe it will never be equaled.”
After signing his scoring card, Woods asked Williams about the commotion on the 18th tee during the second round, finally learning about the single-ball drama. Williams recalled them laughing about it extensively, noting Woods had seen his nervousness despite a massive lead.
Williams also shared Woods` revealing statement made immediately after the win: “Steve, I`m going to play even better at the British Open at St. Andrews. I want you to get your ass over there, and I want you to know every blade of grass on that course.”
True to his word, Williams traveled to St. Andrews a week early the following month. On July 23, 2000, Woods defeated Bjørn and Els by eight strokes to claim the Claret Jug, becoming the youngest player to complete the career Grand Slam.
He then achieved the final step of the “Tiger Slam” the following April by winning his second green jacket at the 2001 Masters, holding all four major championships simultaneously.
Stewart Cink summarized Woods` unique ability: “I think Tiger`s skill level was the greatest in history. The majors identified that to an even greater extent because they had the heavy rough, and his power overcame the heavy rough. They had a lot of length; his power overcame that. They required patience, and he had the best mental game and fortitude the game has ever seen. They just required more of everything — and he had more.”