Monday 24 August 2015 00:22, UK
Jordan Spieth won the first two majors of the year and narrowly failed to make it three, but how does his performance in 2015 stack up to the record-breaking Tiger Woods campaign of 2000?
Masters
Woods arrived at Augusta on the back of three wins and three runner-up placings in seven starts, but he endured a torrid first round as he posted a 75 including two double-bogeys. He struggled again on day two and looked in danger of missing the cut - a 72 getting him into the weekend with nothing to spare, and nine shots behind leader David Duval. Woods rallied with a best-of-the-day 68 on Saturday, but a six-shot deficit was too much to make up as he could only match the final-round 69 of impressive victor Vijay Singh.
Spieth set the pulses racing with a stunning, opening 64 that was a remarkable three shots better than anybody else, and the young Texan followed up one superb round with another as a flawless 66 extended his lead to five shots. His 36-hole score of 130 set a new Masters record, tied the major championship best, and his five-stroke lead also equalled the tournament record. Spieth set a new Masters benchmark for the 54-hole score at 200, and another 70 on the final-day completed a four-shot win and matched Woods' 1997 Masters record of 18 under par, although he missed a five-foot par putt on the last to miss out on the outright best. The first wire-to-wire winner since Ray Floyd in 1976 also became the first player in Masters history to reach 19 under when he birdied 15, while his 28 birdies over the week set another record, beating Phil Mickelson's previous mark by three.
US Open
Woods produced arguably the finest performance of his career at Pebble Beach, blitzing the field by a remarkable 15 shots and breaking several records in the process. He was in a class of his own throughout the tournament, opening with rounds of 65 and 69 to open up a six-shot lead at the halfway stage. Despite an early triple-bogey in round three, Woods salvaged a 71 in brutal conditions - only Ernie Els broke par - and set a new 54-hole record with his 10-shot lead. The final round was a procession as Woods closed with a flawless 67 to finish on 12 under - the first double-digit winning score in US Open history. His aggregate of 272 tied the tournament record, which was previously set on par-70 courses, and his 15-shot win remains a major championship benchmark that may never be surpassed.
Spieth found himself tied for the lead at the halfway stage at Chambers Bay after rounds of 68 and 67 got him to five under with Patrick Reed, who faded on day three as Spieth's steady 71 retained a share at the top with Jason Day, Branden Grace and Dustin Johnson. Spieth suddenly found himself three clear of the field after a birdie at 16, but he opened the door when he double-bogeyed the next. He hit the par-five 18th in two and two-putted for birdie, but Johnson birdied 17 and knocked his second to 12 feet at the last. Johnson's putt for the win scuttled four feet past, and he missed the return to gift Spieth his second straight major.
Open Championship
More records tumbled as Woods became the fifth player in history, and the youngest, to complete the career grand slam of all four majors - appropriately at the Home of Golf. A second round 66 earned him a three-shot lead at halfway and he never looked like buckling over the weekend. A 67 on Saturday doubled his lead, and a rock-solid closing 69 completed a comprehensive eight-shot victory. His winning score of 19 under remains a record for any major championship.
The one that got away from Spieth this year as he finished just a shot out of the eventual three-man play-off at St Andrews, won by Zach Johnson. Spieth began with a confident 67, but he struggled to combat the blustery conditions during a second round that took two days to complete and returned a 72 that left him five behind leader Dustin Johnson. But he bounced back with a sparkling 66 that got him within one of the lead heading to the last day, and a birdie at 16 lifted him into a share of the lead. However, he failed to save par from 10 feet at the treacherous Road Hole and was unable to find the birdie he needed at the last to get into the play-off.
PGA Championship
Woods made it three majors in a row, but unlike his dominant performances in the previous two, he was pushed all the way by American journeyman Bob May before prevailing in a play-off at Valhalla. Woods and Scott Dunlap jostled for the lead over the first two rounds, with the holder earning a one-shot halfway advantage after adding a 67 to his opening 66. Woods remained one clear after a third round 70 as May surged into contention with a second straight 66, and he made it three on the bounce to pile the pressure on the favourite. But Woods got up and down from sand at the last to tie, and a birdie and two pars in the three-hole play-off proved enough to retain his crown.
Another near-miss for Spieth, who replaced Rory McIlroy as world No 1 despite falling short in his bid to become only the third player in the modern era to win three majors in a calendar year. An uncharacteristically average day with the putter saw Spieth open with a 71, before moving up the leaderboard with a much-improved 67. Spieth went in to the weekend five shots off the pace, but birdied six of his final eight holes to close a bogey-free 65 and move within two of Day. Playing in the final pairing, Spieth was unable to gain any serious ground on the Australian as Day closed out a convincing three-shot victory.
