If you’re a golfer of any generation, there’s a good chance you’ve heard someone say, “Tiger in 2000? Different animal.” But there was one week that made that statement feel less like hyperbole and more like gospel: The Open Championship at St Andrews.
This wasn’t just a win. This was Tiger Woods at the peak of his powers, on the most historic course in the game, making the Old Course look like his personal playground. And whether you watched it live or caught the replays years later, one thing’s for sure — you remember it.
When Tiger Walked into St Andrews, the Course Never Stood a Chance
It was July 2000. Just a month earlier, Tiger had destroyed the field at Pebble Beach, winning the U.S. Open by a mind-melting 15 shots. Expectations? Beyond sky high. And somehow, he still exceeded them.
He showed up at the Home of Golf with one goal: total domination. And over four meticulous rounds, that’s exactly what he delivered.
“Tiger was driving the ball as well as he ever had,” golf writer Jaime Diaz observed.
His caddie, Steve Williams, didn’t mince words either: “His confidence was at an all-time high.”
Woods opened with a bogey-free 67, just one behind Ernie Els. Then came a ruthless 66 on Friday, where he took the outright lead and never gave it back.
And if you think Saturday was the moving day for the field, think again. Tiger shot another 67 and left everyone else scrambling for second. Thomas Bjørn, in full honesty, said what most players were thinking: “There is no doubt we’re playing for second place.”
Strategic, Surgical, and Somehow Still Spectacular
It’s one thing to overpower a course. It’s another to outthink it.
Tiger avoided every one of the Old Course’s 112 bunkers — a nearly impossible feat on links turf. He wasn’t just hitting it long. He was hitting it smart.
And then came the kind of shot that made you pause the VHS (yes, it was that era): A 3-wood on the 14th that carried 272 yards and landed right in front of the green. Effortless birdie. Six-shot lead. Curtains.
It was aggressive when it needed to be. Conservative when it mattered. Golf played like chess — and Tiger was three moves ahead all week.
What This Win Really Meant
Tiger closed the deal on Sunday with a 69 to finish at 19-under — setting a new Open scoring record at the time.
But the numbers were just part of the story.
- 🏆 At 24, he became the youngest golfer to complete the career Grand Slam.
- 🧠 He held off two major champions (Bjørn and Els) without ever looking rattled.
- 🔥 This was leg two of what would become the mythical Tiger Slam — holding all four majors at once.
When asked about the win, Tiger kept it simple:
“The only thing I know is I got the trophy sitting right next to me.”
Ernie Els summed up the rest of the field’s feelings:
“When he’s on, we don’t have much of a chance.”
And yeah — we were all witnesses.
Why It Still Resonates 25 Years Later
There have been incredible performances since. But Tiger at St Andrews in 2000? That wasn’t just dominance — it was destiny. The course that defined golf’s past became the backdrop for the player who redefined its future.
It was the moment when every young golfer — whether they admitted it or not — started dreaming of walking that same fairway, playing that same course, chasing that same feeling.
Tiger didn’t just win the Open. He burned it into golf history.