Tiger’s Epic Comeback at 2000 Pebble Beach: A Look Back
Tiger Woods arrived at the 2000 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am chasing his sixth straight PGA Tour win. Though he downplayed the streak, saying “I still don’t really consider it six because it’s all over two seasons,” what unfolded that week would become one of his most memorable victories.
Woods was originally set to partner with Michael Jordan in the pro-am, but Jordan’s new role as Washington Wizards’ director of basketball operations kept him away. “I was going to play with Michael Jordan, but now he’s got a job, and he can’t get off work,” Tiger explained. He ended up teaming with former Stanford teammate Jerry Chang instead.
The tournament got off to a slow start. Weather delays – a common theme at Pebble Beach – meant Woods only finished 10 holes on Thursday at Poppy Hills. He completed a solid opening 68 on Friday, sitting just two shots behind co-leaders Notah Begay III, David Duval and Vijay Singh.
Name
Events
Top 10
Money
Tiger Woods
378
199
$120,999,166
Things got interesting during that first round when Tiger’s driver head snapped off mid-swing, flying 60 yards forward and nearly into a barranca. But that wasn’t the biggest challenge he’d face.
At Spyglass Hill on Saturday, Woods posted a rare over-par round – a 73 that dropped him eight shots behind Singh. It was just one of four over-par rounds he’d card all season. “I didn’t shoot myself out of the tournament,” Tiger said afterward. “If there are two more rounds, I still have a chance.”
He started his comeback with a third-round 68 at Pebble Beach on Sunday, but still trailed Matt Gogel and Mark Brooks by five heading into Monday’s finish. What happened next was pure Tiger magic.
Down seven shots with eight holes to play, Woods mounted one of his signature charges. The highlight came at the par-4 15th, where he holed out for eagle from 97 yards. A birdie at 16 tied him with Gogel, and another at 18 gave him a closing 64 and the clubhouse lead.
Gogel couldn’t match Tiger’s heroics, three-putting the final hole to finish two shots back. His post-round quote captured what everyone was thinking:
“I don’t know about destiny. He is just damned good. I was amazed. I will not ever be amazed anymore.”
The victory extended Woods’ winning streak to six tournaments, tying Ben Hogan for the second-longest in PGA Tour history. During the streak, Tiger played 24 rounds, with 19 under par, for a combined 79-under total. His earnings? A cool $4,592,000.
It was just the beginning of what would become Tiger’s most dominant season. And Pebble Beach? He’d be back four months later for an even more memorable performance at the U.S. Open.
