2001 THE LAST LEG OF THE TIGER SLAM
iger’s run in the majors during the summer of 2000 was the most dominant in history. He won the US Open by a record 15 shots, the Open Championship by eight, then the PGA in a playoff. Winning the 2001 Masters would mean holding all four professional major titles at one time, which had never been done. Tiger was always comfortable with “never been done.” Before we got to Augusta in 2001, he worked hard to keep up his form from the year before. His prep for majors was unlike any player’s I’ve ever seen. Not only would he practice shots in the weeks before a major that he knew he’d need, he would play them in tournaments leading up to it, even when the situation didn’t call for them. That year, he won his last two events before the Masters – Bay Hill and the Players – and he was hitting his “Augusta shots,” like high draws with the driver and little spinny wedg- es, to win those tournaments. It was his secret prep that only we knew. By the time we got to Augusta, it was like he’d been competing there for weeks. With the prospect of his winning four straight majors, it’s all anyone was talking about early that week. I knew the best thing I could do for him was not mention it. We kept our conversations light and his practice sessions crisp and rou- tine. He did his workouts every morning, and when he got to the club, it was about warming up and focusing on how the T
course was going to play that day – the wind, hole locations, shot shapes. He did exactly what he had to for the first three rounds (70-66-68) to get himself in position to close out the so-called Tiger Slam and stood one shot ahead of Phil. Sunday’s pre- round preparations were impeccable. As usual, he spent time on the putting green first, finding the types of putts he antici- pated having with Augusta’s Sunday pins, then went to the range to warm up. As he headed to tee off, I took a quick moment with him, told him to go take care of business. He gave me a nod, didn’t even say anything, didn’t have to. We both knew the gravity of the day. I never really had a doubt that he would win, even before the week started. He was the best at his best. Through nine holes, he was one shot clear of Phil and Da- vid Duval, and he kept his lead by a shot or two throughout the back nine. Standing on the 18th tee, he led David by a stroke and Phil by two. With history waiting, he hit his lon- gest drive of the week up the last fairway, wedged it just right of the pin and then rolled in an 18-footer for birdie. After the post-round hugs, I finally let myself think about what it all meant. It’s damn hard to win a major, but four in a row with the whole world reminding you of what’s at stake? I realised more than ever that those are the moments Tiger plays for. That’s his fuel. There’ll be other great feats in golf, but I don’t think anyone will touch the Tiger Slam.
78 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
MARCH/APRIL 2025
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