2 days ago
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Tiger Woods' 2000 U.S. Open stampede at Pebble Beach still stands alone
At the time, Tiger Woods' ruthless march around Pebble Beach in the 2000 U.S. Open counted as a staggering feat, at once transcendent and historic.
Twenty-five years later, it's no less staggering, transcendent and historic.
This month's silver anniversary offers a chance to reflect on the greatest performance in golf history, and one of the best ever in any sport. Woods blended Babe Ruth's aura, Wilt Chamberlain's dominance and Joe Montana's style, all on the picturesque canvas of Pebble Beach.
Some fresh context? Scottie Scheffler again has sparked Tiger comparisons entering this week's U.S. Open, which begins Thursday at Oakmont Country Club outside Pittsburgh. The parallels are logical, given Scheffler's 10 wins since the start of last year and his recent hot streak (three victories in his past four tournaments, plus seven consecutive top-10s).
Still, let us know when Scheffler wins the national championship by 15 strokes. That just doesn't happen in golf, except for Woods at Pebble in 2000.
'It's the absolute Sistine Chapel of major championship performances,' NBC broadcaster Dan Hicks said last week on a conference call, 'and I really believe it will never be equaled.'
Woods was 24 in June 2000, more than three years removed from his landmark victory in the 1997 Masters (by 12 shots). He had won one other major, the 1999 PGA Championship, after spending more than two years completely revamping his swing.
He arrived in Northern California as the favorite, absolutely. But those four days at Pebble came to personify Woods at his peak, light-years ahead of every other golfer on earth.
Among the details from this nostalgic dive into the past:
Woods put together two bogey-free rounds in the 2000 U.S. Open (the first and final rounds). The other 155 players in the field combined for one, Joe Daley's second-round 69. Side note: Daley still missed the cut.
Woods didn't three-putt all week.
There were 437 rounds played at Pebble, but only once did another golfer post a lower score than Woods in the same round. Ernie Els shot 68 in the third round, beating Woods' even-par 71.
Not only did Woods set the then-U.S. Open scoring record in relation to par (12-under), he was the only player to finish in the red. Els and Miguel Angel Jimenez tied for second at 3-over.
Woods crushed the field despite making a triple-bogey 7 in Saturday's third round, on No. 3. If Woods had made one triple bogey in every round (instead of a par), he still would have won by six strokes.
That he produced one of his signature triumphs at Pebble Beach made it even more memorable. Beyond its striking scenery, Pebble already had established its habit of spitting out marquee U.S. Open champions, from Jack Nicklaus in 1972 to Tom Watson in '82 to Tom Kite conquering the wind in '92.
Woods' romp in 2000 quickly jumped atop the heap.
'It's something people still talk about all the time,' John Sawin, senior vice president of golf at Pebble Beach, said Monday. 'We have a very rich history of U.S. Open champions at Pebble, that's no secret — but probably none more famous than Tiger in 2000, particularly with this generation of visitors.'
Sawin was a high-school freshman-to-be in Philadelphia when Woods rolled to that victory. But Sawin was already an avid golfer (on his way to becoming a college standout at Princeton), thanks mostly to Woods' win at Augusta National three years earlier, and he closely watched the 2000 Open on television.
Nineteen years later, when Woods showed up for a practice round at Pebble ahead of the 2019 U.S. Open, Sawin found himself as Tiger's caddie for the day. He listened intently as Woods relived the 2000 win on his trip around the course, narrating for Erica Herman, his girlfriend at the time.
'I knew every shot he was talking about,' Sawin said.
There was no shortage of notable shots, as captured in a 44-minute USGA documentary available on YouTube. They included Woods digging one ball out of the thick rough on No. 6, over the cliff and onto the green with his 7-iron, prompting NBC course reporter Roger Maltbie to memorably say, 'It's just not a fair fight.'
Later, just before play was suspended in Friday's fog-delayed second round, Woods lofted his tee shot on No. 12 onto the green 35 feet from the hole. Rather than mark his ball and return to putt the next morning, Woods rolled it home amid the gathering darkness, punctuated by an animated fist pump, to extend his lead.
That served as a loud goodnight to his foes: They weren't catching him.
One unexpected obstacle nearly surfaced early Saturday morning on No. 18, where Woods pumped his tee shot into the ocean as he completed his second round. He didn't realize it, but caddie Steve Williams had only one more golf ball in Woods' bag. Fortunately, Woods smacked his next shot down the fairway.
He also showed his signature intensity during Sunday's final round. He entered with a 10-shot lead and wasn't remotely threatened — but he still vigorously pumped his fist after saving par on No. 16, because his goal for the day was not to make any bogeys.
And he didn't.
'It all came together for one magical week,' Woods said on the USGA documentary. 'I have never played four days like I played at Pebble Beach.'
One quick personal memory: Father's Day in 2000 was my first as a dad, and I spent it at Pebble tracking the race for second place. My sidebar for the Chronicle played up the faux drama, with Els and Jimenez ultimately sharing runner-up honors.
At least they accepted their fate in (mostly) good humor.
'Finishing second is good,' Els said back then, smiling widely, 'but it's kind of embarrassing being 15 shots back.'
The past two U.S. Opens at Pebble Beach featured a bit more suspense, and crowned solid champs in Graeme McDowell (2010) and Gary Woodland ('19). The Open returns to Pebble again in 2027.
Then, much like this week at Oakmont, there will be a pre-tournament favorite. Scheffler, Rory McIlroy or another elite player could find his groove and win comfortably.
But they won't top Tiger's performance for the ages in 2000. All these years later, it still stands alone.
