- FedExCup Points: 50,000
- Purse: $1.26 million
- Winning Share: $1,260,000
- Yards: 7,154
PGATOUR.com Contributor
In the dream scenarios painted by those who conduct THE TOUR Championship, the final round in 2000 held about the best promise anyone could imagine.
| RESULTS | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2000 TOUR Championship | ||||||||||||||||||
|
Vijay Singh and Tiger Woods were tied at 10-under-par 200, one stroke ahead of Phil Mickelson and four up on Ernie Els. A handful of guys were six back, but with those four at the top of the leaderboards their chances of winning were about the same as being hit by a meteorite while touring East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.
Considering the earlier success of his season, Woods -- the winner of three consecutive majors championships and the clear No. 1 in the Official World Ranking -- was given the best chance against No. 2 Els, No. 4 Mickelson and No. 12 Singh.
Yet it was Mickelson who prevailed with an astonishingly good 4-under 66, passing Woods and maintaining the advantage during a tense finish. His fourth victory of the season (Buick Invitational, BellSouth Classic, MasterCard Colonial) matched the same output from 1996, a quartet that included the NEC World Series of Golf.
"This is a wonderful way to end the year," Mickelson said. "I know how tough Tiger is on the final day. I know how he has a tendency to go really low and run away with tournaments. I challenged myself this week to prepare and get ready to win this tournament, and I was able to do that. I know that Tiger had a great year, but to have the best year other than his meant a lot to me."
Tough in the final 18? That's an understatement when it relates to Woods, who had won 19 consecutive TOUR titles with a solo or shared lead entering the final day. That string dated back to his third start as a pro in 1996. Of course, earlier in the year when Woods failed to win a seventh straight tournament it was Mickelson who broke the streak at the Buick.
Mickelson, then 30 years old, distinguished himself in the select field by keeping a low profile. Sunday's last pairing of Singh and Woods was their first since they faced each other in Presidents Cup singles -- Woods won, 2 and 1, but was miffed when Singh's caddie wore a cap with the words "Tiger Who?" embroidered on the back.
Singh, who matched Mickelson with a 65 in the third round, faltered early and posted a 73, eventually spiraling down into a tie for third with Nick Price and Els (69), who needed an unbelievable round to make up ground.
Mickelson, however, played steadily and avoided conjuring up any shaky shots under pressure, refusing to wilt. His opening drive caromed off a spectator's arm and wound up in the fairway, leading to a birdie that brought a share of the lead. It was one of the moments when the breaks went Mickelson's way.
Woods could not say the same while playing beside Singh, the man who had taken that Spring's Masters to prevent him from a Grand Slam. Woods frequently missed fairways and botched putts that he'd made with regularity throughout the year.
He made the turn two behind Mickelson and missed out on a birdie at the par-5 15th hole, a necessity if he was to collar Mickelson. Woods bogeyed No. 17 from a greenside bunker, nearly knocking his third into a lake beside the green, squandering the last moment when he could have jumped back toward the lead.
Shooting his 11th consecutive competitive round in the 60s was little consolation. "I grinded my butt off just to give myself a chance," Woods said. "I just tried to Band-Aid as best as possible. The fact that I was able to shoot under par was really a minor miracle in itself."
Mickelson was beginning to hear whispers about being the best player without a major title, so the triumph was an ecstatic turn. "To be able to win a championship at Bobby Jones' course is such a wonderful feeling," Mickelson told the crowd when he accepted the trophy. "I feel like I'm part of Bobby Jones' legacy ... and there's another hometown of his two hours away that I'd like to be a part of, too."
In just 41 months Mickelson would realize that dream, too.
