Wednesday 12 June 2019 21:51, UK
Tiger Woods' record 15-shot win at the 2000 US Open at Pebble Beach remains the benchmark for dominance in modern golf.
Finishing the week as the only player under par, Woods carded a final-round 67 to finish 12 under for the week, with Miguel Angel Jimenez and Ernie Els sharing a distant second on three over.
In the build-up to the 2019 edition at the same course, Woods' contemporaries have been sharing their thoughts and memories of his historic third major championship win.
"It's just so dominant. He probably led the field in every single statistical category. I'm sure he was up there in distance and driving accuracy. I think Pebble, 2000, he never drove the ball better than he did that year, long and straight. He had unbelievable distance control with his irons and he was holing putts. He did everything he needed to do.
"You know, golf can feel pretty easy when it's like that. I've, maybe not to that same level, I've played tournaments and played well where the back nine has been comfortable and you know, you've been able to sort of let it sink in. But you know, to win by 15, it's remarkable.
"I don't know if we'll ever see a performance as dominant as that again."
"I had a bit of a tough day that day. Coming in, I don't know how many shots I was behind, but it was kind of over. But I did feel maybe if I got off to a very hot start and he does something very silly, maybe there's something there for me.
"But it didn't quite turn out that way. In fact, I think we were even par through nine holes, and then he kind of really got it going on the back nine. It was like a victory walk for him.
"But remember Tiger back in those days, he was very intense. He was really playing every shot a hundred per cent to his ability, and he was not backing off one inch. I remember he made a putt on 16 for par and he was fist pumping, and I was like, 'the tournament is over', but obviously he didn't want to make a bogey.
"It was an amazing walk. It was tough for me because I was like a sideshow and people knew they were watching history being made, the first guy to go double digits under par and so forth. That time he was looking like winning a Grand Slam in a calendar year.
"So he had a lot going for him. His swing was unbelievable. He was hitting it a long way past most of us and in total control of every aspect of his game. I'm sure he had a good time."
"He destroyed everybody else, and I kind of felt sorry for everybody else. It wasn't a fair fight at that point.
"I remember the guys were scrapping for second place. It was Ernie and Thomas Bjorn and guys like that. I felt like these guys playing in the Tiger era in the 2000s, basically Tiger was taking so many opportunities away from the guys.
"Your Phils and your Ernies and your Vijays, whoever the top guys were around then, it seemed like if it wasn't for Tiger, their careers may look a lot different. Obviously, 15 shots in a major is unbelievable."
"Obviously, it's super impressive, what he was able to do. It's probably the greatest golf performance I think we're going to see in golf. It was fun to watch on TV even 19 years later, which is just incredible to say."
"It was pretty dominant. Very impressive week. I don't remember watching it a whole lot. I was a little young, Tiger is getting a little older now. We make sure he's aware of that, too. We share the same trainer so it's okay.
"It's probably some of the most impressive and dominant golf I think anyone's really ever seen.
"Joe, my caddie was telling me, he was actually watching some of the reruns of it. But I think Tiger told Stevie that he wasn't going to make a bogey the final round, and fist-pumping his par-putt on 16 when he's clearly in a different golf tournament. He's not going to lose at that point.
"But it was just cool to see him sticking to his game plan and executing. And when you can get in kind of that frame of mind and block everything else out, that's ultimately where you want to be.
"It's a lot easier said than done, but that's ultimately what I try and do every week. I don't think - we haven't seen very many dominant performances like that, not many since then."
"Obviously, it's very impressive what he did. That would be a tough one to ever compete with I think.
"But it's Pebble. It's tough enough depending on the conditions, where I feel like if I play really well for four days, you could win by a lot, but I think that's a bit of a stretch because there are just so many really good players, and they are all playing really well; it would be hard to win any tournament by 15."
And from the man himself...
"It's crazy. It's been 19 years. I still remember most of the shots I hit that week. It was just one of those weeks where I don't know how I pulled it off, but on seaside poa annua, I never missed a putt inside 10 feet for a week.
"The only real trouble I had, I just happened to catch a gust of wind and ended up making a debacle on No. 3 in my third round.
"Other than that, you look at all my angles. I did not hit every green. I did not hit every fairway, but I always had the proper angle. And gave me the best chance to get up-and-down. I poured everything in. Hopefully, I can have one of those weeks on the greens again."
