ESPN.com - Golf Online - US Open Men 2000 - Woods' walk was simple pleasure

By David Kraft
ESPN Golf Online
Monday, June 19

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. -- The Tiger Woods victory tour began at 11:15 a.m. PT as he walked from the room he's staying in at the Lodge at Pebble Beach to a waiting courtesy van.

"Having a good time this week?" he said to caddie Steve Williams as they climbed down the stairs.


	Tiger Woods and Steve Williams had an enjoyable stroll around Pebble Beach on Sunday.

Williams laughed. Two volunteers waiting to escort Woods to the practice tee laughed. Woods, wearing his traditional Sunday red, laughed as well.

A 10-shot lead going into the final round of the U.S. Open is something to laugh about.

Ninety minutes later, Woods stood on the first tee. He pulled out a 4-iron -- he'd hit a 3-wood off the same tee at the AT&T five months earlier -- and split the fairway. He hit the green with his second shot and two-putted for a par.

Tiger collapsing? Tiger struggling? Tiger bowing to Pebble Beach on the final day of the U.S. Open?

One hole into the round, Tiger's answer: Ha. Ha. Ha.

Eighteen holes later, nothing had changed. Middle of the fairway. Perfect second shot. Wedge to the middle of the green. Two-putt par. Round of 67.

Most importantly, first U.S. Open championship by a margin of 15 strokes -- bigger than his win at the 1997 Masters; bigger than any win in a major since Old Tom Morris in British Open of 1862, when he won by 13 shots over a field that was certainly less formidable.

"I had a sense of calmness I haven't felt in a while," Woods said. "It's reminiscent of when I was playing at Augusta in '97."

Calmness on the tee. Calmness in the fairways. Calmness on a Saturday when he didn't tee off until nearly 4 p.m. Woods won his first U.S. Open title with his approach shots and on the greens -- he was tied for sixth in putting and first in greens hit in regulation.

"That's an amazing combination," said Darren Clarke. Six of the last seven Open champs have been in the top 10 in greens in regulation.

Saturday morning, Woods announced his Sunday game plan: "Just go out there and hit a lot of fairways and let the chips fall where they may."

Heck, even the guys in the Tiger suits who were climbing trees to get a peek at him knew that was coming.

Youngest to win three majors
Player	Age
Gene Sarazen	21 yrs., 7 months
Jack Nicklaus	23 yrs, 6 months
Bobby Jones	24 yrs., 3 months
Tiger Woods	24 yrs, 5 months
Seve Ballesteros	26 yrs., 0 months
Ralph Guldahl	26 yrs, 4 months
Gary Player	26 yrs., 8 months

"I knew that if I didn't make any bogeys, Ernie (Els) was going to have to shoot a pretty low number to beat me," Woods said.

But, typically, Woods improved on that promise. He went out and carved up Pebble Beach with his second bogey-free round of the tournament, matching Jack Nicklaus and Lee Janzen for the lowest total score in U.S. Open history and becoming the first player ever to finish more than 10-under par in the tournament's 100-year history.

The first hole was a forerunner of things to come -- he parred the first nine holes. Then he birdied the 10th, 12th, 13th and 14th to get to 12-under, matching the lowest score ever reached in a U.S. Open (Gil Morgan seven holes into his third round in the '92 Open at Pebble Beach).

He saved par from the rough at No. 16 and from the bunker at the 17th.

Woods was smiling again as he marched down the 18th hole, directly toward his room at the Lodge. He'd hit his tee shot into the middle of the 18th fairway from the same tee box he'd snap-hooked one into the Pacific a day earlier, prompting a profane outburst. He'd hit his second shot into the perfect lay-up position.

With that, Woods stopped alongside the cliffs and looked out into the Pacific. He and Williams leaned on his bag. He took out some lip balm and applied it. They talked of Tiger's sense of tranquility -- the same sense he felt three years ago when he won his first major title.

"No matter what you do, good or bad, it really doesn't get to you," Woods said. "Even the days when you wake up on the wrong side of the bed, for some reason, it doesn't feel too bad. It's just all right. And to have those weeks just happen to coincide with major championships is even better."

When he got to the green, he completed what may have been the most impressive performance by an athlete in a major competition in history.

At 4:35 p.m. PT, it was over. He pumped his fist, hugged Williams, shook the hand of playing partner Ernie Els, and walked in to sign his scorecard. He walked back on the green and accepted the championship trophy. After meeting with the media, he took a phone call from President Clinton on his cell phone.

With his win, Woods joined Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Tom Kite as U.S. Open winners at Pebble Beach. He left the record book in tatters -- to say nothing of the field.

"He just played the Open week," said Els. "He did nothing wrong."

Now that's something to laugh about.