BBC SPORT | Special Events | 2001 | US Open | Tiger goes up against history

BBC Sport Online takes a look at the phenomenal form of world number one Tiger Woods.

When Tiger held his nerve at this year's Masters to do what no golfer had ever done and win four Majors in a row, his place as the greatest modern-day golfer was confirmed.

Still only 25, it seems the world number one has nothing left to prove.

It is no longer Woods versus the rest. It is Woods versus the record books.

Awesome depths

With only five months of the year gone he has already amassed three times as many world ranking points as his nearest rival, Phil Mickelson.

Other sportsmen and women find their powers weakened without someone breathing down their neck.

Vijay Singh slips the traditional green jacket over the shoulders of Tiger Woods following victory at this year's US Masters
This victory had pundits proclaiming his huge talent "a threat to golf"
Not Woods.

His phenomenal skill with a golf club aside, he has an awesome depth of self-motivation which at the crunch, blows his doubt-ridden rivals away.

For the record, there are several feats Tiger will be attempting when he stands on the first tee at Southern Hills in Oklahoma on 14 June:

The first player to successfully defend his US Open title since Curtis Strange in 1989 at Oak Hill Country Club;
The first player to win the year's first two Majors since Jack Nicklaus in 1972;
The first player to win an unprecedented fifth consecutive Major championship.

Victory will also bring him his eighth US Golf Association Championship, which would tie Jack Nicklaus' record and be one shy of Bobby Jones' pre-war record of nine.

Any suggestion that Tiger might have problems motivating himself after his incredible 2000 season have been despatched quicker and further than a Woods tee-shot.

Of the eleven tournaments he has played in this year he has won five and has finished no worse than tied 13th.

He has accumulated more than $4m in the first five months of the year in prize money alone.

And crucially, he is getting better by the week.

His five victories have all come in his last six tournaments, which includes the Masters in April, his only "slip" being a third place, at the Byron Nelson Classic.

He took Europe by storm in a one-off transatlantic appearance at the Deutsche Bank Open in Germany at the end of May.

His 175-yard seven iron into the hole on the way to victory may have been lucky, but a fluke it was not.

It is the kind of magic he seems able to summon at crucial times.

It is worth recording that in the 44 competitive rounds of golf he has played this year, Woods' accumulative score is 152 below par.

His average per round is a fraction above 68, virtually a shot better than any of his rivals.

Extra gear

But it is his ability to seemingly pull away at will down the homeward stretch which stands him apart.

The statistics show his final round average to be 67.7, almost a full two shots better than anyone else.

Tiger Woods kisses the 2000 US Open trophy
Love affair: Woods kisses the 2000 US Open trophy
When Tiger hits the front - he rarely loses.

Only twice this year has he been overhauled when leading at the third-round stage.

But when his name is anywhere near the top of the leaderboard, it sends a chill of anxiety through the veins of the frontrunners.

On several occasions Woods has made startling surges up the field to clinch victory.

But he has been helped by the frailties of those around him.

Michael Campbell held a seven-shot lead with 35 holes of the Deutsche Bank Open left to play.

The New Zealander finished four strokes behind Woods - effectively surrendering 11 shots in the final two rounds.

Lucky breaks

Mickelson, Woods' nearest rival, also made crucial errors which allowed him to win at Augusta.

Woods' most recent victory, at the Colonial tournament in Ohio, was another example.

Having been behind all the way, Woods fired a final 66, including another eagle, while third round leader Paul Azinger closed with a 74.

One of the few men to come from behind to beat Woods this year was Dane Thomas Bjorn, who believes he can win 30 major titles.

The 16-year-old Tiger, pictured at an unnamed tournament in 1992
Woods' skill marked him out from a young age
So far Tiger has six Majors - a third of the way to Jack Nicklaus' record of 18.

Woods himself admits he has been aided by good fortune which may at some point run out.

"I knew I could play at a high level but there is a lot of the luck involved in winning major championships, and I've been very lucky," he says.

But there are few who work as hard to make their own luck.

"I have a good work ethic.

Relaxed approach

"That means going out there and busting your tail on the range and the chipping surface and the putting green and really learning how to play the game of golf - then applying it in competition.

"That's not exactly the easiest thing to do but it is something I have learnt to do.

Woods drives at the 14th of Pebble Beach in the 200 US Open
Talents like Tiger emerge once in a lifetime of a game
"It doesn't matter what anyone thinks - I have to go out there and execute the golf shots.

"No-one in the media or in my family is going to hit the ball for me, I have to and I want to do it the best I can.

"I want to come off the course with my head held high. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, it's all about having a relaxed attitude."

Tiger may not win this year's US Open.

But failure won't affect his status as the best modern-day golfer, and one firmly in the running to become the best of all-time.


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