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Just when you think Tiger Woods couldn't get any better, couldn't break any more
records, couldn't possibly top his only competition -- himself -- he does. His
achievements in 2000 have been simply mindboggling. He became the first golfer
since Ben Hogan in 1953 to win three majors in a year (in Tiger's case: the U.S.
Open, the British Open and the PGA). Woods' 15-stroke win at the U.S. Open at
Pebble Beach was the largest margin of victory by any player in a major
championship; his win at the PGA was the first back-to-back victory at that
championship since 1936-37; and his 18-under 270 at the PGA earned him the
scoring record in relation to par at every major championship. But what has
truly set Woods apart this year is his sheer domination. Tiger's victory at the
NEC Invitational at the end of August -- just a week after his triumph at the
PGA -- was his fifth in his last seven starts. Then, in September, Tiger won the
Canadian Open in spectacular fashion, birdieing Nos. 16 and 18 to take a
one-shot victory over Grant Waite. In addition to becoming the first
player since Lee Trevino in 1971 to win the U.S., British and Canadian Opens in
the same year, Woods also became the first to win nine tournaments in a season
since Sam Snead won 11 in 1950. And while money is not what makes the man, by
late August -- at the tender age of 24 -- Woods had already set a Tour
single-season record with more than $8 million in winnings. Tiger's earnings surely have not gone unnoticed by his fellow golfers, but what they've been impressed
with above all is his performance. "Someday I'll tell my grandkids I played
in the same tournament as Tiger Woods," said Hall of Famer Tom Watson after
Tiger's PGA victory. "We are witnessing a phenomenon here that the game may
never, ever see again."
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