It was one of the only times that Tiger Woods was upstaged by a listing of career accomplishments when being introduced prior to a round.
“The 1999 PGA Champion, from Windermere, Florida, Tiger Woods,” the announcer at the 2000 PGA Championship said on the first tee at Valhalla Golf Club.
“Next on the tee, the 1963, 1971, 1973, 1975 and 1980 PGA Champion, from North Palm Beach, Florida, Jack Nicklaus.”
That is how the final round of Nicklaus’ illustrious career of competing at the PGA Championship started, with he and Woods being grouped with Vijay Singh, the 1998 PGA Champion.
Nicklaus, then 60, had shot a first-round 77 and needed to record something special to prolong his PGA swansong. He hit his approach to 4 feet on the first and made birdie, then made one from just inside 30 feet on the second hole to quickly jump to 2 under on the day. The Golden Bear then made nine consecutive pars although several of them were anything but ordinary. Nicklaus made a long par save on the fourth hole, missed a birdie putt from 10 feet on the fifth, made a 12-foot par save on the seventh and had another great up and down on the eighth.
Bogeys at Nos. 12 and 14 stopped most of the momentum, and on both occasions, he was not able to get up and down from a greenside bunker. The bounce-back was thwarted when he burned the hole from 15 feet on the 15th.
The stage on the par-5 18 th hole was one that members of the gallery will never forget.
Woods was 4 under for the round – with two bogeys – and Nicklaus needed eagle to make the cut. Nicklaus’ wedge shot approach landed left of the pin, checked up and rolled right, back toward the flag, stopping inside 3 feet. The tap-in birdie gave him 71 and he missed the cut by a shot.
“That was awesome,” you could see Woods' mouth as he was shaking Nicklaus’ hand.
The five-time PGA Champion and 18-time major winner walked off the green to the adoring crowd with his hat in the air, waving in thanks.
The biggest story that Friday in Louisville was how it felt like a passing of the torch with Nicklaus handing his title as the greatest ever to a 24-year-old who was in the midst of his own greatness.
Woods, of course, went on to win the championship two days later in a dramatic three-hole aggregate playoff against Bob May. He defended his 1999 PGA title, had won three straight majors to bring his total to five, and would win the Masters the following year to hold all four major titles at the same time.
“He shot the easiest 66 today,” Nicklaus said of Woods. “It looked like a 60. Phenomenal control, phenomenal concentration, phenomenal putter.
“I think he’s a better player than I was.”
