For many, Tiger Woods is the best golfer to have ever played the game. The 47-year-old, who misses this year’s US Open as he continues to recover from ankle surgery, has 15 Major Championships to his name, which is second only to Jack Nicklaus’ 18.
In total, Woods has won 82 official PGA Tour events, and over the course of his near 30-year career he has amassed over $120,000,000 in PGA Tour prize money alone. He also sits in an exclusive group, having won all four of golf’s Major Championships.
The US Open, just like most tournaments, has been good for Woods – he’s won his national open on three occasions: 2000, 2002 and 2008, the last of which was particularly memorable, as he limped his way to victory over Rocco Mediate at Torrey Pines.
Woods is the only player to win the US Open while ranked the number one player in the world, which he did on all three of those occasions. He also won the US Amateur Championship three years in a row from 1994-1996, the only player to have done so.
Here, we take a look back at his three US Open victories, each one of which was quite remarkable.
2000, Pebble Beach Golf Links
This was the 100th edition of the US Open, and marked Woods’ 100th tournament as a professional – and what a tournament it was. Woods, 24, was at the peak of his powers at Pebble Beach Golf Links, where rounds of 65, 69, 71 and 67 saw him finish 15 shots ahead of the field.
That margin of victory – Miguel Angel Jimenez and Ernie Els finished tied for second way back at three over – broke the record for a Major that was set during the Civil War, when Old Tom Morris beat seven players by 13 shots in the 1862 Open Championship.
2002, Bethpage Black
Two years later, the great man was at it again. This was Major number eight for Woods, and he did it by going wire-to-wire at Bethpage Black, taking the prize by a margin of three shots over his great rival, Phil Mickelson.
Woods had also won The Masters in April, and by following it up with success at his national Open, he became the first player to achieve that feat in 30 years, something Jordan Spieth would accomplish in 2015. Woods fired rounds of 67, 68, 70 and 72 to finish the tournament as the only player under par.
2008, Torrey Pines
Most people had this down as being his last ever Major Championship success. It would have been, of course, had it not been for his Masters heroics in 2019. Much like the present day, Woods was suffering in pain 15 years ago. At Torrey Pines, he literally limped over the finishing line, Rocco Mediate pushing him all the way in a playoff.
Woods celebrating that 15-footer on the 72nd hole to force extra holes provided one of golf’s most iconic pictures – and we all know what happened next. It wasn’t as pretty as Pebble but, as Woods often likes to say, it was all about getting the 'W'.
