The photo above does not need a caption !
When Tiger Woods won his first Open Championship in July 2000 he joined an elite of just four players to have achieved golf's 'Grand Slam'. The only others previously to have won all four of the 'Majors' (Masters,the U.S. Open,the Open and the PGA Championship) were Gene Sarazan in 1932,Ben Hogan in 1953,Gary Player in 1965 & Jack Nicklaus in 1966. At the age of 24 he was the youngest ever player to win the quartet of titles (Nicklaus was 26) and he did it in the least number of years,three (1997 to 2000),beating Nicklaus' previous record of four years . The 2000 Open Championship for the famous claret jug (seen being held aloft for the first time by Tiger above) took place at St. Andrews,the 'home' of golf,and his winning score of 269 was a course record for the Championship. Rounds of 67,66,67 & 69 won for him the first ever £500,000 winning purse for the event - twice as much as the amount won by joint runners-up Ernie Els (S.A.) & Thomas Bjorn (Den) who both scored 277. His eight shot victory,however,was not numerically comparable to his U.S. Open win the previous month when he took that title by a staggering fifteen strokes. His first 'majors' victory was at the 1997 Masters,followed two years later at the 1999 PGA,then the 2000 U.S. Open and finally the 2000 Open which,coincidentally,was Jack Nicklaus' final appearance in the Championship. With his victory at the Open,Woods also became the first player since Nicklaus to hold three of the four majors at the same time. He retained his P.G.A. title in a three hole play-off with fellow American Bob May by one stroke (both scored 270) to complete a fabulous year. (G.H.)
Nigel French's photo of Tiger Woods (above) was taken during the 2000 British Open.
© G. Herringshaw.
The Masters 2000
1. Vijay Singh FIJ -10 72-67-70-69 = 278 $828,000.00
2. Ernie Els RSA -7 72-67-74-68 = 281 $496,800.00
3. David Duval USA -6 73-65-74-70 = 282 $266,800.00
Loren Roberts USA -6 73-69-71-69 = 282 $266,800.00
5. Tiger Woods USA -4 75-72-68-69 = 284 $184,000.00
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The US Open 2000
1. Tiger Woods USA -12 65-69-71-67 = 272 $800,000.00
2. Ernie Els USA +3 74-73-68-72 = 287 $390,150.00
M-A Jimenez ESP +3 66-74-76-71 = 287 $390,150.00
4. John Huston USA +4 67-75-76-70 = 288 $212,779.00
5. Padraig Harrington IRE +5 73-71-72-73 = 289 $162,526.00
Lee Westwood ENG +5 71-71-76-71 = 289 $162,526.00
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The Open 2000
1. Tiger Woods USA -19 67-66-67-69 = 269 £759,150.00
2. Thomas Bjorn SWE -11 69-69-68-71 = 277 £371,983.00
Ernie Els RSA -11 66-72-70-69 = 277 £371,983.00
4. David Toms USA -10 69-67-71-71 = 278 £197,379.00
Tom Lehman USA -10 68-70-70-70 = 278 £197,379.00
6. Fred Couples USA -9 70-68-72-69 = 279 £151,830.00
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US PGA 2000
1. Tiger Woods USA -18 66-67-70-67=270
2. Bob May USA -18 72-66-66-66=270
3. Thomas Bjorn SWE -13 72-68-67-68=275
4. Stuart Appleby AUS -12 70-69-68-69=276
Greg Chalmers AUS -12 71-69-66-70=276
J-M Olazabal ESP -12 76-68-63-69=276