The US Open is upon us, and the entire field will be trying to recreate some Tiger Woods magic this weekend.
Regarded as one of the toughest tournaments to win, the US Open has broken thousands of golfing hearts since its inception.
There is, however, one player who has proved to be the exception to this rule – that being Tiger Woods.
With two US Open titles to his name, Woods enjoyed huge success in golf’s third major, most notably in the tournament’s 100th edition back in 2000.
Tiger Woods’ reflection on 2000 US Open win
Woods has had countless memorable moments over the years, but arguably his greatest ever performance would come during the 2000 US Open.
Finishing a whopping 15 shots clear of his nearest opponent, Woods conquered Pebble Beach in what is the most dominant major championship performance in history.
https://x.com/DPWorldTour/status/1932392296806334550?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1932392296806334550%7Ctwgr%5E481c0fd771dc0157c1c0227b2cf34a5fd322ecf0%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thesportreview.com%2Fgolf%2Ftiger-woods-iconic-three-word-response-after-record-breaking-us-open-victory%2F
Unsurprisingly, no golfer has since managed to recreate such a performance on the biggest stage, with Scottie Scheffler’s Tiger-like dominance not even coming close.
When speaking on his iconic Pebble Beach display, it’s fair to say that Woods’ brief reflection didn’t exactly do his performance justice.
“In 2000 … I was good,” Woods said recently via the US Open website.
Rory McIlroy was in awe of Woods’ US Open victory
Rory McIlroy was a huge fan of Woods growing up, and it seems like Tiger’s US Open display particularly struck a chord with the Northern Irishman.
McIlroy himself dominated the US Open back in 2011, but he thinks his victory pales in comparison to Woods’ heroics in 2000.
https://x.com/usopengolf/status/1094593960763408387?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1094593960763408387%7Ctwgr%5E481c0fd771dc0157c1c0227b2cf34a5fd322ecf0%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thesportreview.com%2Fgolf%2Ftiger-woods-iconic-three-word-response-after-record-breaking-us-open-victory%2F
“It was just so dominant,” McIlroy told Sky Sports in 2019.
“Tiger probably led the field in every single statistical category. I’m sure he was up there in distance and driving accuracy.
“I think he never drove the ball better than he did that year, long and straight. He had unbelievable distance control with his irons and he was holing putts. He did everything he needed to do. Golf can feel pretty easy when it’s like that.
I’ve played tournaments and played well where the back nine has been comfortable and you’ve been able to sort of let it sink in. But to win by 15, it’s remarkable. I don’t know if we’ll ever see a performance as dominant as that again.
“The fields are so deep nowadays that even your really good golf is very hard. That’s why Tiger winning by 15 might be something we only ever see once in our lifetime.”
