Tiger Woods completed golf's career Grand Slam at the 129th Open Championship. He won at the Old Course, St Andrews, on 23 July 2000. At 24, he became the youngest player ever to hold all four major titles.
Four days without a bunker at St Andrews
Woods opened with a blemish-free 67, then a bogey-free 66 to lead by three at halfway. He made his first bogey in 63 holes of major golf in round three, but answered at once with five birdies in seven holes.
The final round turned on the driveable par-4 10th. David Duval had cut the lead in half, and both men faced short birdie putts. Duval missed from 11 feet; Woods holed from nine, and the gap grew to four.
Duval fell away with an eight at the Road Hole. Woods took a safe bogey there and parred the last for a total of −19. Across all 72 holes he did not find a single bunker.
Fifth into a rare club, two years younger than Nicklaus
The eight-stroke win over Thomas Bjørn and Ernie Els made Woods the fifth golfer to complete the career Grand Slam, after Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player. He beat Nicklaus's age record by two years. His winning score stood as the lowest to par in any major for 15 years.
Bjørn saw no way to compete. "It certainly looks like somebody out there is playing golf on a different planet than the rest of us," he told reporters. "When he brings his A-game, he's just different class."
The victory came a month after his 15-stroke U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. Woods would soon hold all four majors at once, yet 2000 remained the finest year of his career.
