Tiger Woods kicked off 2000 with an epic showdown in paradise, beating Ernie Els in a playoff at the Mercedes Championship in Hawaii. It was a sign of the incredible year to come.
Woods was already on fire, having won his last four tournaments of 1999. Now he was ready to make history at Kapalua’s stunning Plantation Course.
Name
Events
Top 10
Money
Tiger Woods
378
199
$120,999,166
The world’s top-ranked player didn’t disappoint. He jumped out to a four-shot lead halfway through, crushing the field with an amazing 66 in brutal winds. That round was more than eight shots better than the average score that day.
“This guy is on fire,” Els said at the time. “He’s got all the talent in the world. What can you do? You’ve just got to stick to your guns. But he’s got bigger guns than I have.”
But Els wasn’t going down without a fight. The South African star battled back to tie Woods heading into the final round.
What followed was pure drama. The two champions were still tied walking to the 18th hole. That’s when the magic happened.
Woods hit an incredible 3-wood shot that curved perfectly along the slope, stopping just 8 feet from the hole. Not to be outdone, Els did even better – his shot ended up 6 feet away.
Both stars drained their eagle putts. Woods celebrated with his signature uppercut fist pump, while Els answered with his own celebration.
They weren’t done yet. After matching birdies on the first playoff hole, they moved to the par-4 10th. That’s where Woods showed why he was becoming the most dominant player in golf.
Facing a 40-foot putt, Tiger rolled it in perfectly. Els couldn’t match it from 35 feet, and just like that, Woods had his fifth straight PGA Tour win.
“If you believe in something so hard it will go in,” Woods said afterward about his winning putt.
It was a historic moment – no one had won five straight Tour events since Ben Hogan did it in 1953. Though Woods, then just 24, modestly pointed out he’d finished sixth at a European Tour event during that stretch.
Els knew he was watching something special develop. “I think he’s a legend in the making,” he said. “He’s probably going to be bigger than Elvis when he gets into his 40s.”
He wasn’t wrong. This victory was just the beginning of what would become Tiger’s most dominant season ever.
