Wednesday, December 20, 2000
From Nelson to Nicklaus, it was the year
of Tiger
By DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer
Tiger Woods had one true rival in 2000 — history.
In what might have been the greatest year in golf, Woods played
the game as if he invented it and hit shots that will be talked
about for decades.
He became the first player since Ben Hogan in 1953 to win three
straight majors and replaced Jack Nicklaus as the youngest golfer
(24) to complete the career Grand Slam.
Woods' nine PGA Tour wins were the most since Sam Snead had 11
in 1950, and his six straight victories were the most since Byron
Nelson won 11 in a row in 1945.
And while Woods didn't make a double eagle at the Masters as Gene
Sarazen did, rarely did he fail to hit a “shot heard 'round
the world” at a tournament.
— The wedge he holed for eagle on the 15th at Pebble Beach
when he made up seven strokes in seven holes to win his sixth
straight PGA Tour event.
— The shot he hit in the dark that landed a foot away from
the hole on the 18th at Firestone to wrap up an 11-stroke victory,
as fans flicked lighters to show their approval.
— The 6-iron from 218 yards out of a fairway bunker, over
the water and at a flag where no one else would aim, to win the
Canadian Open. That made Woods the first player to win the U.S.
Open, British Open and Canadian Open in the same year since Lee
Trevino did it in 1971.
“He hits every shot like his life depends on it,” Thomas
Bjorn said at the U.S. Open, where Woods finished at 12-under
274 and won by 15 strokes, the largest margin in a major championship
since Old Tom Morris won by 13 in the 1862 British Open.
Perhaps that explains why Woods didn't have a round over par after
the first day of the Byron Nelson Classic in May — 47 consecutive
rounds when his season ended in Spain in the second week of November.
His scoring average of 68.17 broke the mark Nelson set in 1945
(68.33) and was 1.46 strokes better than anyone else this year,
which computes to nearly six shots a tournament.
“The more times you're in position to win, the better your
chances are at winning,” Woods said. “Hopefully, next
year I can duplicate — if not better — what I was able
to do this year. You're not going to win every tournament. You
just have to be there enough times, and the odds will be in your
favor.”
Woods had a big year off the course, too. He signed a new deal
with Nike that will pay him at least $100 million over five years,
believed to be the richest endorsement deal in sports.
He also challenged the PGA Tour over marketing rights, and ended
the year on a conciliatory note after a meeting with commissioner
Tim Finchem.
“Everyone says it's been tenfold, what he's done for the
PGA Tour,” Fred Couples said. “I would say that it's
been 10,000-fold.”
The only month in which Woods did not win was April, and the Masters
was the only major that kept him from making it a clean sweep
of the four majors.
In that respect, the year didn't belong entirely to Woods.
Vijay Singh won the major not even he thought he could, conquering
the slick greens of Augusta National to win the Masters by three
strokes over Ernie Els, who became the first player to finish
second in three straight majors.
Phil Mickelson won four times and twice stopped a streak by Woods.
In February, he ended Woods' tour-winning streak at six by holding
him off in the Buick Invitational. In November, Mickelson came
from behind to win the Tour Championship and become the first
player in 20 tournaments to win an event in which Woods had at
least a share of the 54-hole lead.
If there was anyone close to a rival for Woods, it was on the
LPGA Tour.
Karrie Webb, the 25-year-old Australian, won her first four events
and then took the first major, the Nabisco Championship, by a
record 10 strokes. Webb wound up with seven victories, enough
points for the Hall of Fame.
It was the kind of year that led LPGA commissioner Ty Votaw to
say, “Tiger is the Karrie Webb of the PGA Tour.”
On the Senior Tour, Larry Nelson won six times and finished first
on the money list with more than $2.7 million.
In Europe, Lee Westwood ended the remarkable reign of Colin Montgomerie
by winning six times to claim the Order of Merit in a close battle
against good friend Darren Clarke.
And it was the end of the road for Nicklaus, who played all four
majors for the last time. He missed the cut in the last three
majors but played with Woods for the first time at the PGA Championship.
It was a ceremonial passing of the baton, although Nicklaus pointed
out, “I think it's been handed over long before this.”
“I knew he was good,” he said. “I think he is better
than I thought he was.”
Woods started the season with an eagle-birdie-birdie finish to
beat Els in a playoff in Hawaii. His summer alone would be a Hall
of Fame career for most players — in seven tournaments, he
won five times, set five scoring records and took three majors.
No tournament sized up his year quite like the U.S. Open.
All along the back nine of Pebble Beach, Woods was playing only
for himself and his place in history. In a championship that bills
itself as the ultimate test, Woods never shot worse than par over
his final 26 holes, unheard of in a U.S. Open.
He found the final piece of the Grand Slam at the home of golf,
St. Andrews, where his 19-under 269 was a record for majors in
relation to par. And he made it a Grand Slam of major scoring
records by finishing at 18-under 270 in the PGA, where he had
to beat Bob May in a three-hole playoff at Valhalla.
As amazing as Woods' year was, he could get even better.
.
“He's a legend in the making,” Els said in Hawaii. “He's
24. He's probably going to be bigger than Elvis when he's in his
40s.”
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