Tiger Woods Wins Triple Crown: Golf History Rewritten

Tiger Woods won the PGA Championship at Valhalla, becoming the first golfer since Ben Hogan in 1953 to capture three major titles in a single calendar year. The victory extended his stranglehold on professional golf and set up his unprecedented run of holding all four major trophies simultaneously the following spring. Woods won the 2000 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, on August 20 in a dramatic playoff against Bob May that went to three extra holes. The victory followed his dominant performances at the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, where he won by a record 15 strokes, and The Open Championship at St Andrews, where he won by 8 strokes. No golfer had held three major titles in a single season since Hogan's legendary 1953 campaign, and Woods was now one major short of holding all four simultaneously. He completed the feat at the 2001 Masters, creating what became known as the "Tiger Slam," as he held the Masters, U.S. Open, Open Championship, and PGA Championship trophies at the same time, though not within the same calendar year. The 2000 PGA Championship final round and playoff were broadcast to the largest television audience in golf history. Woods's performance over the 2000-2001 major championship season is considered the most dominant stretch in the sport's modern history, with his combined margin of victory across the four tournaments exceeding 30 strokes (not counting the playoff). The era established Woods as the most marketable athlete in the world and transformed professional golf's commercial appeal.