ESPN.com - Golf Online - PGA Championship 2000

By Peter Lawrence-Riddell
ESPN Golf Online
Monday, August 21

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Amazing.

That is the only word that can possibly describe the feeling at Valhalla Golf Club on Sunday afternoon when Tiger Woods defeated Bob May by one stroke in a three-hole playoff, capping one of the most riveting duels in major championship history.


	Tiger Woods sweated out the championship to the bitter end.

Woods began the day struggling with the putter, missing a short birdie putt on No.1 and a short par putt on No. 2.

Any intimidation that May might have felt before the round was gone after Woods bogeyed the par-5 second hole. From that point on, it was obvious that May believed he was going to beat Woods.

Heading to No. 7, Woods was trailing May by two strokes. But up ahead was a stretch of holes that Woods owned all week. Through the first three rounds, he was 9-under over the four holes from No.7 to No.10 -- and Sunday was no different.

With birdies at Nos. 7, 8 and 10, Woods played himself right back into the tournament.

"My putter was pretty good from probably No. 8 on," Woods said. "I made that good putt on 8, and I really hit a lot of good putts coming in."

While the turning point might have come on the front nine for Woods, the fireworks didn't start until the back.

"It was one heck of a battle on the back nine," Woods said.

After making a 20-footer for birdie on No. 11, May stuck his approach on No. 12 within six feet of the hole. Woods followed by putting his second shot less than 10 feet below the hole.

With May looking at a certain birdie, Woods stepped up to his putt and calmly rattled it in the right edge of the cup, celebrating with an emotional pump of his fist. It was a two-man sprint for the Wanamaker Trophy, and Woods' sleepy putter had finally woken up.

Pars for both players at No.13 were followed by two holes that saw huge putts by Woods.

With May looking at a 6-footer for birdie on the par-3 14th, Woods once again jammed the ball into the back of the cup. May responded by dropping his own.

That led to No. 15, which may have been the turning point of the round.

May was on the green in two with a 4-footer for birdie. Woods meanwhile, had a 12-footer for par after a poor approach shot and putt from off the green. Woods was still away and had to be thinking that May was going to make birdie. He drained the putt.

After May missed, Woods walked off the green one shot down, when just minutes earlier is looked like he'd be teeing off on No.16 down three shots.

"It was critical," said May, who left No.15 with the same one-shot lead.

After two pars on No.16, May teed off first on No.17 and hooked his drive right and short. Woods promptly stepped up to the tee and, as he would say after the round, "absolutely ripped one right down the middle of the fairway."

After scrambling to stay in the match for most of the day, it seemed like Woods smelled blood and was going for the kill.

May was able to salvage a par, but a birdie for Woods and the twosome was headed to the 72nd hole tied at 17-under.

With both players on the 18th green in two, the final major championship of the year was going to come down to a putting contest.

May went first from nearly 80 feet away, blowing his ball 18 feet by the hole. The door seemed to be wide open for Woods to two-putt and win the tournament.

But Woods' putt wasn't much better, missing well right and coming to rest some six feet from the hole.

Staring at the biggest putt of his life -- a downhill 18-footer that broke left to right -- May delicately nudged the ball towards the hole and watched as the slope carried it all the way to the bottom of the cup. "I figured if I just hit a good, solid putt, you never know what is going to happen," he said.

Now it was Woods turn, and he answered, draining a 6-footer to send the tournament back to No.16 for a three-hole playoff.

Well left off the tee on the first playoff hole, May couldn't reach the green with his approach shot, coming up short and right. Woods didn't hesitate to take advantage, putting his second shot 25 feet to the right of the hole.

May nearly holed his 50-yard chip, leaving him with a tap-in par. But any momentum May might have gained was quickly washed away when Woods drained his birdie putt, taking a one-stroke lead.

Both players were wild off the tee on No.17, but were able to salvage par, sending the playoff to No.18 with Woods up one stroke.

Woods pulled his drive way left onto the cart path and followed that up by pulling his second shot into the left rough. Woods' third shot came up short, landing in the bunker in front of the green, seemingly opening the door for May.

Meanwhile, May needed three shots to reach the right side of the green.

With Woods in the bunker and May on the green, it may have looked like the tournament was headed to sudden death. But anyone who watched Woods make birdie out of the same trap twice this week knew he was going to get up and down.

Woods blasted his ball to within two feet of the cup. May still had a chance to extend the tournament, but his lengthy birdie putt just missed.

Woods tapped in, and for the second straight year the Wanamaker Trophy was his.