Tiger's run of six consecutive wins in events he plays ends
at the Buick Invitational. Erasing a seven-shot deficit in a matter of seven
holes, Tiger's desperate charge falls short when Phil Mickelson wins by four
strokes. "I wasn't out to end the streak. I don't want to be the bad guy. I
just wanted to win the tournament," says
Mickelson.
March 19, 2000
"Remember how he used to grade himself? He's about an
A-minus right now, every week. Some weeks he's an A-plus," says Davis Love
after Tiger wins the Bay Hill Invitational. It marks the 13th consecutive time
on Tour, and 15th time in pro competition, that Tiger has held at least a share
of the lead after 54 holes and gone on to
win.
May 30, 2000
Tiger takes the Memorial, his 11th win in 20 starts over two
seasons and his fourth in 2000. He has won 19 times in 94 starts as a
professional.
Jack Nicklaus, perhaps the greatest golfer ever, won his 19th pro event in his
107th start. Says Rocco Mediate: "[Tiger's] not human. Cut him open, and
I'll tell you what you'll find: a bunch of wires and levers, and a big-assed
heart."
June 18, 2000
On Father's Day, Tiger gives Earl a memorable gift: a U.S. Open title. Tiger dominates the 100th U.S. Open, shooting a record 12-under-par 272 to finish 15 strokes ahead of Miguel Angel Jimenez and Ernie Els. It is the largest margin of victory in a major championship. "Before I went out to play today," said Els before entering the final round, "I knew I didn't have a chance."
On his way to winning his third major championship, Woods sets or ties 10 U.S. Open records. "I can't wait to give this thing to my dad and let him rub it a little bit," said Woods of the trophy.
July 23, 2000
With his 19-under-par performance at the Old Course at St. Andrews,
Tiger wins the British Open and leaves his mark on the birthplace of
golf. He laps the field by eight strokes, 35 days after winning the
U.S. Open by 15. In doing so, he achieves a career Grand Slam at age
24, two years younger than Jack Nicklaus was when he did it. Woods now
holds the record for most strokes under par in the Masters, the U.S.
Open and the British Open.
August 20, 2000
Making his mark on an unforgettable year, Tiger cashes in for his third major of the season, winning the PGA Championship. But it doesn't come without tension as Bob May and Tiger duel in a three-hole playoff. First, Tiger forces the extra session with a five-foot birdie. Then he nails another birdie on the first playoff hole and holds on for a one-stroke victory. Tiger becomes just the second player to win three majors in one year -- the other being Ben Hogan, who did it in 1953.
September 10, 2000
Tiger preserves a one-stroke victory with an amazing six-iron shot out of the bunker on the final hole at the Canadian Open. The victory is Tiger's fifth in his last seven tournaments. New Zealander Grant Waite matches Tiger stroke for stroke on the final day, hounding him until the 18th hole. "When pressure is at its peak," says Tiger, "that's when your concentration level is at its highest."
November 7, 2000
Tiger stuns PGA Tour officials when he lashes out at them in a magazine article, saying that that his frustration is serious enough that it "could escalate into a bigger situation." Tiger intimates that Commissioner Tim Finchem speaks to him only when he wants the No. 1 player in the world to play in a certain tournament. Tiger also says he doesn't like how the Tour was using his image for its own marketing and promotional purposes.
Said Tour spokesman Bob Combs: "I'm confused by these implications.At every tournament, Tim has been very public and very clear about the excitement Tiger has injected into professional golf."
November 10, 2000
The Screen Actors Guild fines Tiger $100,000 for shooting a nonunion Buick commercial during the six-month strike against advertisers by The SAG and the American Federation of Television & Radio Artists. The verdict is reached after a three-day hearing with Tiger, in which half of the fine would be suspended unless he made another commercial during a future SAG strike. "I have relationships to uphold with my sponsors who have supported me over the years. This is in no way a stance against the union," said Woods in July, shortly after shooting the Buick ad.
November 12, 2000
Tiger's quest to become the first golfer in 50 years to notch 10 victories in a season falls short at the World Golf Championships in Spain. Instead, Tiger settles for a nine-win season, more than $9 million in earnings, three consecutive majors and the lowest raw scoring average in PGA Tour history (68.17), eclipsing Byron Nelson's mark of 68.33. Mike Weir, who won the event, said of Tiger: "Any time Tiger plays in the tournament you win, it makes you feel great because he's far and away the best player in the game right now."
November 27, 2000
In an effort to clear the air, Tiger and Finchem meet in Los Angeles. Both come out of the meeting pleased with the progress made. They discuss player marketing rights, commercial use of player images and the Internet. "It was important for us to meet face-to-face to gain a clearer understand of each other's business objectives," Tiger says in a statement released by the Tour.
Dec. 18, 2000
More accolades for Tiger. He is named Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year
for the second time in his illustrious career, becoming the first person ever to
be honored with the award more than once. Woods tore through the golf world in
2000, winning 10 tournaments and becoming the first golfer since Ben Hogan in
1953 to win three majors. Tiger also completed the career grand slam.
March 18, 2001
At the Bay Hill Invitational in Orlando, Tiger picks up his first win of the
year and ends his 2001 drought of seven tournaments without a victory, the
longest he has ever gone without winning to start a season. He finishes at 15-
under 273, becoming only the second player to repeat as Bay Hill champion. It is
Tiger's 25th career victory in just his 96th start on the PGA Tour.
March 26, 2001
Another tournament, another accomplishment. Tiger wins The Players Championship
for the first time in his career, shooting a 14-under 274 to beat Vijay Singh by
one stroke. "To be able to win a championship like this on an extremely
demanding golf course, with probably the best field assembled in all of golf ...
it's extremely rewarding," said Woods.
April 8, 2001
A historic day at Augusta for Tiger and the golf world. Woods wins his second
Masters and becomes the first golfer ever to hold all four major titles at once.
Tiger finishes the tournament 16-under, just two strokes off the Masters record
which he set in 1997, winning by two shots over David Duval. "To win four in
succession, that's hard to believe," Woods said. "There are so many things that
go into winning a major championship, or for that matter, any tournament. More
so in a major because you have to have your game peaking at the right time. On
top of that, you've got to have some luck. To have it happen four straight
times, some of the golf gods are looking down on me the right way." While no one
doubts Tiger's utter dominance in the sport, debate rages as to whether he
completed a true grand slam. "If you're a historian, obviously it isn't a Grand
Slam," said 1992 Masters champion Fred Couples. "If you're a player, when you
look at it, I think it's pretty wild."
June 3,
2001
With a 6-under 66 in the final round, Woods wins the Memorial Tournament for the
third consecutive year. Paul Azinger, who tied for second place, seven strokes
behind Tiger, echoed a familiar thought following Woods' victory: "I would
say he's probably the most dominant athlete in the history of sports."
Tiger is the first golfer since Tom Watson (1979-'80 Byron Nelson Classic) to
win the same tournament three years in a row.
August 26, 2001
A day prior to the five-year anniversary of his turning pro, Woods earns his 29th career PGA Tour victory, outlasting Jim Furyk in a seven-hole playoff at the NEC Invitational.
November 21, 2001
Woods stamps out a two more records by winning the Grand Slam of Golf. It's the fourth time he's won the event, breaking a tie with Greg Norman for the most Grand Slam of Golf victories. His final score of 12-under 132 breaks the tournament mark of 11 under set by Ernie Els in 1997.
December 16, 2001
At the Williams World Challenge, the final golf tournament of 2001, Woods takes the comeback route and overtakes Vijay Singh. Tiger begins the day four shots behind Singh, but sinks 10 birdies, including five straight to start the back nine, and finishes the tournament at 15-under 273. Woods donates his $1 million prize to the Tiger Woods Foundation, which reaches out to children and families.
March 17, 2002
It's the first victory of 2002 for Tiger, who wins the Bay Hill Invitational
in Orlando, Fla. by four strokes over Phil Mickelson. This is the third year
in a row Woods wins the event, making him the first player to ever win three
different PGA tour events (Bay Hill, Firestone and the Memorial Tournament)
three times in a row. "In this day and age, that's an amazing thing,"
tournament host Arnold Palmer said. "But he continues to do amazing things."
April 14, 2002
Despite efforts to "Tigerproof" the course at Augusta, Woods wins his second consecutive Masters. This year the course was lengthened by 285 yards, but that didn't derail the 26-year-old phenom, who took the green jacket with a three-stroke advantage over Retief Goosen. Tiger joins Jack Nicklaus (1965-66) and Nick Faldo (1989-90) as the only repeat winners in tournament history. It's also Woods' seventh victory in a major, moving him to sixth place on the all-time majors win list. With one major in the books and three remaining, Tiger has one goal in mind: "I've done four in a row before. It would be nice to do four in a row in the same year."
June 16, 2002
Bethpage Black -- the longest course in U.S. Open history -- can't stop Tiger, who wins the tournament by three strokes over Phil Mickelson. Woods, the only player to break par at 3-under 277, virtually leads the Open from start to finish. The victory makes the 26-year-old phenomenon the first player since Jack Nicklaus in 1972 to capture the first two major championships of the year causing the buzz about Tiger accomplishing a "real" Grand Slam to intensify.
Photographs by Walter Iooss Jr., Robert Beck, Gerard Rancinan
