Runaway Ride

This week, the British Open returns to the scene of one of the biggest blowouts in major championship history, and that could be good news for the guy who did the demolition work.

Five years ago, Tiger Woods showed everyone that he had some new tricks for the Old Course, and the 129th British Open soon became a Tiger-by-the-numbers sort of thing.

Check the accounting:

* 112 -- The number of bunkers on the Old Course, all avoided by Woods.

* 19 -- Woods’ under-par total, a British Open record.

* 24, 6, 23 -- Woods’ age in years, months and days as he became the youngest player to have won all four majors.

* 4 -- The others who won all four: Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan.

* 67-66-67-69 -- Woods’ scores for the four rounds.

* 8 -- His margin of victory.

If Woods was indeed playing a numbers game, his performance in the 2000 British Open reflected his playing at a high level that drew praise, even from those who got run over in the process.

Woods, who trailed Ernie Els by a shot after the first round, led by three after two rounds and by six after three before winning by eight. It was the largest margin of victory in the British Open since 1913, when John Taylor beat Ted Ray by eight shots.

Woods’ precision was extraordinary. In 72 holes, he had only three bogeys. It was his sixth victory of the year and his second major, since he’d earlier won the U.S. Open.

His triumph on the Old Course completed a career grand slam for Woods and was a clear indication of his dominance -- he had won the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach by 15 shots.

Els said he knew he was playing for second when he stepped to the first tee Sunday.

“In one way, it was incredible to watch a guy play so much better than the rest of the world,” he said. “And, in another way, it was tough to sit down and talk about him every time.”

The weather all week was warm and dry, perfect Tiger conditions. The recap:

First round

Thursday, July 20

It was a good day for scoring -- 25 players shot under par. Woods had an early tee time and turned in a five-under 67. Els, who finished hours later, birdied three of the last seven holes and took the lead with a 66.

From his vantage point, Els said he didn’t think there would be a repeat of what had happened at Pebble Beach the month before.

“If he beats me by 15 from now, there should be an inquiry,” he said.

Woods matched par on the first eight holes but, beginning at the ninth, made five birdies in a seven-hole stretch.

He birdied the ninth with a 12-foot putt after getting close with a pitching wedge. He drove the green at the 379-yard 10th and two-putted from 50 feet for another birdie.

He had another two-putt birdie at the 12th, this time from 30 feet, birdied the par-five 14th after hitting a driver and a three-wood, then made another birdie at the 15th when his nine-iron got him within 10 feet and he made the putt.

Second round

Friday, July 21

Once again, the scores were low, with 39 players under par. No one went lower than Woods, though. He made six birdies in his round of 66 and saved par on the Road Hole from behind the green, increasing his number of consecutive holes in majors without a bogey to 62.

“Bogeys aren’t good for your scorecard,” he said.

Later, as he took his three-shot lead at the end of the day, Woods was asked if the tournament were already over.

“Well, I don’t have the trophy sitting next to me,” he replied.

The closest Woods came to making a bogey was at the 17th, the Road Hole, where his second shot landed on a narrow patch of grass behind the green. He pulled out his 60-degree wedge, banked the ball off the slope of the bunker and rolled it back to within eight feet of the pin.

He said that even though it wasn’t that long a putt, it was a tricky one, breaking right to left, then left to right.

“A putt that short and having it break two ways is not exactly easy,” he said.

Els could do no better than a 72 and fell to sixth, but David Toms had a 67 and moved into second.

Third round

Saturday, July 22

Woods finally made a bogey, on the second hole, his first since the third round of the U.S. Open -- a streak of 63 holes -- but he didn’t flinch. David Duval fired a 66 and picked up only one shot on Woods, because Tiger’s 67 increased his 54-hole lead to six shots over Duval and Thomas Bjorn.

Tom Lehman shot a two-under 70 and was eight shots back.

“I’m just getting lapped,” Lehman said.

Woods played the first seven holes at par, despite a three-putt bogey at No. 2, and Toms was only a shot back. But Woods got it back to two shots when his six-iron at the eighth landed two feet from the hole. And at the ninth, Woods rolled in a 15-footer for another birdie and had a three-shot lead again.

He birdied the 12th, almost driving the green, then chipping to three feet. Now, the lead was four and he was 14 under par. A 20-foot birdie putt at the 13th brought his lead to five and it became six when he two-putted from 40 feet at the par-five 14th -- his fifth birdie in a seven-hole stretch.

Woods three-putted the Road Hole for a bogey, but he made a 10-footer at the 18th for his seventh birdie of the day.

Fourth round

Sunday, July 23

When he made a four-foot putt for par at the 18th hole, Woods broke Nick Faldo’s 10-year-old British Open record of 18 under and set a record for most under par in any major. His four rounds in the 60s were the only time Woods has managed that feat.

Duval, who wound up 11th, shot a 43 on the back that included a quadruple-bogey eight on the Road Hole. But playing alongside Woods, Duval had a good look at history being made.

“It was a spectacular performance, to say the least,” he said.

Woods went on to win the PGA Championship at Valhalla and the 2001 Masters for his “Tiger Slam,” four major titles in a row.

Beginning with his victory at the 1999 Memorial, Woods had won 13 of his last 23 PGA Tour events.

It was his 21st victory and put him over the $17-million mark in earnings.

He has won 22 times and made $33 million more since.

Woods did make one more bogey -- at the Road Hole for the second day in a row when he left his second shot short of the green -- but that didn’t really matter. His name was already being engraved on the Claret Jug. At the trophy ceremony, he held it close and gave it a kiss.

Later, he explained how he happened to be holding another championship trophy at another victory ceremony:

“Hard work and good karma.”

Over that four-day span five years ago at this very same place, that was probably as good an explanation as any.