ESPN.com - Golf Online - US Open Men 2000 - Woods has changed the game

By Karl Ravech
Special to ESPN Golf Online
Sunday, June 18

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. -- So what does Tiger Woods first ask for upon completing the most dominating performance by an individual in any sport: chicken fingers and French fries. The snack of champions.


	Tiger Woods' dedication to hard work is visible on the golf course.

The truth is Woods' 15-shot victory in the U.S. Open is a product of eating right, exercising and practicing endless hours. This win is the culmination of one man's efforts to be the very best at what he does.

Having a seat off the 18th green with access to the best players in the world allowed me a unique perspective on the history most of you witnessed on television. It is one thing to sit in a theater and watch "Saving Private Ryan;" it is a very different thing to actually be a participant.

One by one the fallen trudged up the stairs, all willing to accept the fact that the present may very well be the future for a long time to come.

Lee Janzen, himself a two-time winner of the Open, offered the best advice on how to succeed in Tiger's world. He says check to see if Woods is playing that week. If he's not, "then sign up." John Huston said exactly the same thing. Tiger Woods is a dragon whose head cannot be severed.

It is what goes on between the ears that separates Woods from the rest. All golfers dream of someday being the best in the world. Tiger Woods turns dreams into reality.

The story of his obsession with Jack Nicklaus and all his records is not hyperbole. Woods will not choose to slow down on his own; only if he is forced to will the record books not totally be re-written.

The seed was planted Wednesday night. Woods and coach Butch Harmon spoke about how content he was feeling, how comortable he felt with his game, his environment, his place in history. The idea that this could be a walk was discussed, and not in terms of "wouldn't it be nice," rather, "this is my time to shine."

At 24, Woods is mature beyond his years. His ability to outline a game plan and follow it is unmatched. On Sunday, he arrived at the 16th hole with a 13-shot lead. An errant drive was followed by a wayward approach shot. His chip rolled some 12 feet past the cup. The screws tightened. The putt rolled in. Woods glared as if he had just preserved a one-shot lead. Afterward, he said, "I didn't want to make a bogey all day." Mission accomplished.

Nick Faldo said on Saturday the game of golf had changed, that Woods had re-written the way he is teaching his 11-year-old son to play.

This is Nick Faldo, the game's most dominant player during the late '80s and early '90s, admitting the notion of "low and slow" has been replaced by a grip-it-and-rip-it, swing-as-hard-as-you-want mentality. When his kid asks him what he needs to do, Faldo responds with, "swing harder."

Every single player to speak to us Sunday called Woods the most complete golfer they'd ever seen. One went so far as to say that Woods' short game and his bunker game are things Nicklaus wished he had.

Now Woods has what he's always wanted, the U.S. Open trophy. And with one eye on history and the other on Nicklaus, he heads to Scotland for the British Open, where bookmakers overseas may take him off the board because the odds would be ridiculous.

Think about it; you wouldn't want to bet against the guy.