'It's not a fair fight': Looking back at Tiger's historic 2000 U.S. Open championship

Twenty-five years ago, the 2000 U.S. Open astatine Pebble Beach Golf Links successful California was a solemnisation of the beingness of defending champion Payne Stewart, who had died successful a level clang little than 8 months earlier.

It was besides a farewell to 18-time large champion Jack Nicklaus, who was playing successful his 44th and last U.S. Open.

It besides turned into the coronation of Tiger Woods, who produced 1 of the top performances successful men's play past implicit 4 days.

Woods arrived astatine Pebble Beach Golf Links 3 weeks aft he'd captured his 19th PGA Tour triumph -- and 4th of the play -- with a five-stroke triumph astatine the Memorial Tournament, becoming the archetypal back-to-back victor of the lawsuit that Nicklaus hosted.

In fact, Woods had won 11 of his past 20 PGA Tour events, defeating Ernie Els successful a playoff successful the season-opening Mercedes Championship successful Hawaii; coming from 7 strokes down successful the last 7 holes to bushed Matt Gogel by 2 strokes successful the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am connected Feb. 9; and past moving distant from the tract by 4 astatine Arnold Palmer's tournament, the Bay Hill Invitational, connected March 19.

At lone 24, Woods had go the archetypal golfer to apical $15 cardinal successful vocation on-course earnings. He'd won the 1997 Masters by a grounds 12 strokes and the 1999 PGA Championship astatine Medinah Country Club to get halfway to the vocation Grand Slam.

Woods was an overwhelming favourite to triumph again successful the U.S. Open, aft he'd tied for third, 2 strokes down Stewart, astatine Pinehurst No. 2 the erstwhile year.

"If the conditions are adust and windy, past it's a substance of patience," Nicklaus said earlier the tournament. "But if they're throwing darts, past Tiger volition sprout a tremendously debased score, nary substance what the conditions are. And he'll astir apt interruption the Open record."

Nicklaus had acceptable the U.S. Open 72-hole scoring grounds of 272 successful 1980 astatine Baltusrol Golf Club successful Springfield, New Jersey. Lee Janzen tied the people astatine the aforesaid people successful 1993.

The U.S. Open scoring grounds wouldn't basal a accidental if Woods maintained his torrid pace.

"He had already arrived successful a large mode successful 1 tourney [at the 1997 Masters], but that was the commencement of Tiger winning tournaments by a batch of shots," Stewart Cink said. "Not conscionable winning but similar oh-my-gosh winning, much than 5 oregon six shots. That's conscionable unheard of considering however adjacent each of america are unneurotic arsenic acold arsenic skill."

Australia's Stuart Appleby, a three-time PGA Tour victor astatine the time, assessed Woods' chances of winning much succinctly, saying, "Tiger would beryllium favored anywhere. Put him successful a car parkland and he'd beryllium favored."

'Never seen thing similar it'

Once Woods arrived astatine Pebble Beach Golf Links to statesman his preparations connected Sunday, it didn't instrumentality his caddie, Steve Williams, agelong to fig retired that helium was erstwhile again the antheral to bushed connected the Monterey Peninsula.

Three weeks earlier, Woods had competed successful the Deutsche Bank Open successful Hamburg, Germany. He had reportedly been paid $1 cardinal to effort to support his European Tour title. In the last round, Woods' 2nd changeable connected No. 11 landed successful the water, resulting successful a treble bogey. He tied for third, 4 strokes down victor Lee Westwood. It was lone the 2nd clip successful Woods' vocation to that constituent that helium failed to triumph aft having the 54-hole lead.

After watching Woods deed balls connected the scope connected Monday morning, Williams and Woods' plaything coach, Butch Harmon, asked him to pare down his signifier regular earlier the tourney started.

"We didn't privation Tiger to overdo it earlier the tourney started due to the fact that some of america had ne'er seen him onslaught the shot with specified precision and conscionable the mode helium was shaping the shots," Williams told ESPN. "We didn't privation Tiger to play excessively overmuch earlier the tourney due to the fact that helium was truthful geared and acceptable to play well."

Sam Reeves, 1 of Harmon's closest friends, had watched Woods' plaything from the aboriginal days of their partnership.

"I've ne'er seen thing similar it," Reeves told Williams. "I've ne'er seen him deed the shot that well."

Woods played 2 signifier rounds with his bully person Mark O'Meara. On the 16th tee container connected Tuesday, NBC pb play announcer Johnny Miller, the 1973 U.S. Open champion, joined the group.

"Johnny wasn't convinced that Tiger was going to beryllium the adjacent champion thing," Williams said. "And Mark O'Meara fundamentally told him, 'Hey, conscionable ticker this kid play for a fewer holes. This guy's going to beryllium the champion subordinate you've ever seen.'"

The upwind was airy and the prima was shining erstwhile Woods teed disconnected successful the archetypal circular Thursday greeting with Sweden's Jesper Parnevik and Jim Furyk. Pebble Beach's diabolic greens were brushed and receptive for a change.

Woods enactment connected a clinic, carding a bogey-free 6-under 65 to instrumentality a one-stroke pb implicit Miguel Angel Jiménez. It was the lowest circular ever successful a U.S. Open astatine Pebble Beach.

After spending a mates of hours connected the club's signifier putting greenish the nighttime earlier due to the fact that helium didn't similar the mode his shot was rolling connected the bumpy poa annua greens, Woods one-putted 12 times and needed lone 24 putts successful the archetypal 18 holes.

When Woods grabbed a stock of the pb with a birdie connected the 14th, Miller dropped a bombshell connected NBC's broadcast.

"I deliberation it's going to beryllium precise choky with the remainder of the field, but I truly bash believe, I've got this hunch, that Tiger's going to interruption each U.S. Open grounds this week and possibly triumph by a large margin," Miller said. "... I conscionable had the feeling that if helium could get disconnected to a large start, which helium has done, it could beryllium a week that helium conscionable says, 'See ya, guys.'"

Golfers teeing disconnected successful the greeting had a sizable vantage earlier a soupy, dense fog rolled successful during the afternoon. Seventy-five players were inactive connected the people erstwhile play was suspended.

"He enactment up a precise bully score," Sergio Garcia said aft the round. "But if you sprout 1 oregon 2 under, helium could conflict precise easy connected this course. You tin spell 2 oregon 3 implicit conscionable similar that. The tournament's not over. It conscionable started."

'It's conscionable not a just fight'

Because truthful galore golfers had to decorativeness their opening rounds connected Friday morning, Woods had to hold until 4:40 p.m. PT to tee disconnected successful the 2nd round.

By the clip helium was getting acceptable to tee disconnected connected No. 1, Nicklaus was wiping distant tears arsenic helium walked up the 18th fairway for the last time. He tipped his visor to the crowd, which gave the Golden Bear a lasting ovation aft helium knocked his 2nd changeable connected the par-5 spread onto the greenish with a 3-wood. He three-putted for par.

In his last U.S. Open, Nicklaus posted an 11-over 82. He missed the chopped with a 36-hole full of 13-over 155.

"I deliberation the U.S. Open to maine is simply a implicit introspection of a golfer," Nicklaus said aft the round. "The competition, what it does to you inside, however hard it is to enactment astatine it. I bask that. I bask the punishment."

No 1 had arsenic implicit a crippled arsenic Woods astatine that moment. After picking up his archetypal bogey of the tourney connected the 5th hole, Woods pushed his tee changeable connected the uphill sixth into the close rough. Most players had punched retired and near their balls abbreviated of the green.

Not Woods.

"I've often said the portion of Tiger's crippled that's astir underrated is his play retired of the rough," Williams said. "He is simply a phenomenal subordinate of moving the shot retired of the unsmooth and getting it very, precise adjacent to pin high. He's conscionable got a freakish quality and he's precise strong."

Not lone would Woods person to musculus his shot retired of the rough, but helium would besides person to wide a histrion increasing connected the broadside of a cliff to propulsion disconnected the unsighted changeable from astir 202 yards.

When Woods asked for a 7-iron, Williams didn't flinch.

"After caddying for Tiger for a small while, you sometimes similar him to play it safe," Williams said. "But that was 1 wherever I knew straightaway helium could get the nine connected it. Whether helium could get it to the green, I didn't know. I surely believed helium could get it up implicit the hill."

Woods took a convulsive hack astatine his ball, which someway cleared the cliff, landed successful beforehand of the greenish and bounced and stopped 18 feet from the cup.

NBC on-course newsman Roger Maltbie summed it up champion connected the broadcast: "It's not a just fight."

Tiger missed an eagle putt and settled for birdie.

"An astonishing changeable that benignant of conscionable acceptable the code for the remainder of the week," Williams said.

On the cliffside par-3 seventh, Woods deed his tee changeable to 5 feet and sank different birdie putt to get to 8 under. Another birdie connected No. 11 enactment him 2 strokes up of the field.

After the fog returned, Woods reached the 12th spread successful adjacent darkness. Play was suspended soon aft helium teed off, but Woods and his playing partners were allowed to decorativeness the hole.

Someone had mentioned to Woods that nary 1 had made a birdie connected the rock-hard greenish the full day. He deed a towering 5-iron changeable to astir 30 feet and snaked successful a birdie putt helium could hardly see.

"Tiger loves making a statement," Williams said. "Everybody other wanted to people the shot and travel backmost the adjacent day. But, you know, Tiger likes to permission with an exclamation mark."

Wood was 3 nether done 12 holes successful the 2nd circular and 9 nether successful the tournament, giving him a 3-stroke pb implicit Jiménez.

"We person a agelong mode to spell -- the 2nd circular isn't adjacent over," Woods said. "This is simply a much demanding people than Augusta was then. I request to proceed to play good successful the morning."

The missing play balls

Woods was backmost connected the driving scope astatine 5:07 a.m. PT Saturday morning, hitting balls nether Harmon's watchful eye. It was going to beryllium an abbreviated warmup, truthful Woods didn't person clip to spell to the putting green.

When Woods reached the 13th tee, Williams realized determination was a problem.

"When we got to the tee, and I enactment my manus successful the bag, determination were lone 3 balls," Williams said. "I didn't cognize why; determination should person been fractional a dozen."

Woods had inactive been unhappy with his putting stroke, truthful helium took 3 balls retired of his container and putted connected the carpet successful his edifice country the nighttime before. He forgot to enactment them backmost successful the bag.

With the mode Woods was striping the ball, Williams didn't deliberation they'd request much than 3 implicit the last six holes of the round. He decided to support his find to himself to debar putting unit connected Woods.

On the 13th hole, Wood drove his tee changeable into the rough, and his mighty lash retired of the gangly writer scuffed his ball. He tossed the shot to a young instrumentality adjacent the 13th greenish aft making par.

"The kid was conscionable truthful excited, showing his dada he's got a shot with Tiger's sanction connected it," Williams said. "And I'm thinking, 'Geez, possibly I should conscionable get that shot back, conscionable successful case, and person the kid travel and conscionable maine astatine the 18th green.'

"But, I mean, you can't bash that successful beforehand of each the radical astir Tiger. He'll go, 'What successful the hellhole is going connected here?'"

Woods picked up different birdie connected the par-5 14th and carded pars connected Nos. 15 done 17. He didn't suffer a shot -- oregon springiness distant different one.

However, catastrophe struck connected the 18th tee erstwhile Woods pulled his thrust to the near and into the rocks on the Pacific Ocean coast.

Tiger didn't cognize helium was down to 1 ball. If Woods mislaid the past one, helium couldn't get 1 from his playing partners, either. Under the Rules of Golf, helium had to decorativeness the circular with the aforesaid benignant of shot he'd been using, oregon he'd beryllium assessed a two-stroke punishment for utilizing a antithetic one. He was the lone golfer successful the tract utilizing Nike balls.

As Woods reached for his operator again, Williams suggested helium mightiness privation to usage a 2-iron disconnected the tee.

"Tiger said, 'Get your f******g manus disconnected that operator caput cover!'" Williams said successful his caller book, "Together We Roared," which helium wrote with play writer Evin Priest. "I didn't privation to archer him it's our past play shot due to the fact that helium astir apt would person told maine to get my ass onto 17-Mile Drive and onto a Greyhound autobus retired of there."

Fortunately for Williams, Woods' 2nd tee changeable was consecutive and recovered adust land. He made bogey to station a 2-under 69. His 36-hole full of 8 nether near him six shots up of Jiménez and Denmark's Thomas Bjorn, breaking a U.S. Open grounds for the largest vantage astatine the halfway point.

Only 4 different golfers were nether par.

Woods' dominance was opening to measurement connected immoderate of his competitors.

"I deliberation you guys person to recognize that determination are 156 guys successful this tournament," Jiménez told reporters. "The property thinks there's conscionable 1 guy."

'He had more'

Heading into the 3rd round, it was each but over. Woods made 1 large mistake -- a triple-bogey 7 connected the par-4 3rd aft his attack recovered the rough. He yet reached the greenish connected his 5th changeable and missed the putt. Woods laughed arsenic helium walked to the 5th tee.

"That's what impressed maine astir and signified Tiger was successful implicit control," Williams said successful his book. "When did you ever spot Tiger Woods laughter erstwhile helium made a double- oregon triple-bogey? Never."

On a time erstwhile the upwind was howling and Pebble Beach's greens yet dried out, Woods managed to station an even-par 71. At 8 under, helium was the lone golfer nether par and a whopping 10 strokes successful beforehand of Els, the largest 54-hole pb successful U.S. Open history.

"He's retired determination successful his ain tournament, isn't he?" Padraig Harrington said astatine the time.

With the rout on, NBC Sports had to wonderment whether play fans would ticker the last circular connected Father's Day. It ended up being the opposite, arsenic millions tuned successful to spot however debased Woods would spell and however galore strokes he'd triumph by. The last 2 days ended up being the most-watched U.S. Open rounds since viewership was tracked starting successful 1975.

Woods carded a bogey-free 67 successful the last round, leaving him with a 72-hole full of 12-under 272. He was the lone golfer who finished nether par, 15 strokes amended than Els and Jiménez, who were 3 over.

Woods' 15-stroke triumph was the biggest successful large title history, surpassing Old Tom Morris' 13-stroke triumph astatine the 1862 Open Championship. He was the archetypal subordinate successful the 106-year past of the U.S. Open to decorativeness treble digits nether par.

"It was a implicit amusement with 1 guy," NBC play announcer Dan Hicks said. "This was history, and I deliberation radical picked up connected the information that however tin 1 azygous feline beryllium that dominant? How tin 1 feline instrumentality it to 12 nether par and the adjacent feline beryllium plus-3? We're ne'er going to spot thing similar that.

"I deliberation it was a fascination with a feline astatine perfection successful a crippled which nary 1 truly comes adjacent to. So it's the implicit Sistine Chapel of large title performances, and I truly judge it volition ne'er beryllium equaled."

As Woods signed his scoring paper aft the last round, helium turned to Williams and asked him what the commotion was astir connected the 18th tee successful the 2nd round, erstwhile lone Williams knew that they were down to their past play ball.

"He could spot I was nervous, and helium had a nine-shot lead," Williams said. "What would you beryllium tense about? He could spot thing was wrong, but I ne'er mentioned it until I told him. We laughed everlastingly astir that."

Williams volition besides ne'er hide what Woods told him next.

"Steve, I'm going to play adjacent amended astatine the British Open astatine St. Andrews," Woods said. "I privation you to get your ass implicit there, and I privation you to cognize each leaf of writer connected that course."

The adjacent month, Williams went to St. Andrews successful Scotland a week early. On July 23, 2000, Woods defeated Bjørn and Els by 8 strokes to seizure the Claret Jug, becoming the youngest golfer to implicit the vocation Grand Slam.

He won the last limb of the alleged "Tiger Slam" the adjacent April by collecting a 2nd greenish overgarment astatine the 2001 Masters.

"I deliberation Tiger's accomplishment level was the top successful history," Cink said. "The majors identified that to an adjacent greater grade due to the fact that they had the dense rough, and his powerfulness overcame the dense rough. They had a batch of length; his powerfulness overcame that. They required patience, and helium had the champion intelligence crippled and fortitude the crippled has ever seen.

"They conscionable required much of everything -- and helium had more."