British Open: Ranking the 25 most dominant performances of all time
By Bill Felber
4. Tiger Woods, 2000, -3.33
Tiger Woods’ first British Open victory, coming in the midst of his ‘Tiger Slam,’ was also the most dominant performance of his career at the event. He won by eight strokes, a margin that fittingly complemented his 15-stroke win at Pebble Beach one month earlier.
In uncharacteristically mild weather, Woods took apart St. Andrews, making only three bogeys, none of them until he had already built a insurmountable advantage. He shot 67-66-66 over the first three days to build a six-stroke margin over the field.
From that point on, the only hint of a challenge came from David Duval, who birdied four of the first seven holes to get within three on Sunday. Woods rebuffed that threat with birdies at the 10th, 12th and 14th, those running his score to 20-under par.
He finished at 19-under, a record for any major. His winning margin was the largest in The Open since JH Taylor won by eight in 1913.
Already a victor at the Masters, U.S. Open and PGA, the win also gave the 24-year old Woods the career grand slam. He joined Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus in that distinction. “To have the opportunity to complete the Slam at St. Andrews makes it even more special,” Woods said.