While the rest of the field was playing for second, Woods took aim at the record books. When the final putt fell, Woods owned his third major championship, along with the kind of records no one imagined possible. His 272 tied the lowest score ever in a U.S. Open, first set by his idol, Jack Nicklaus, in 1980 and later matched by Lee Janzen in 1993. Both those came at Baltusrol, which played as a par 70. The only thing I know is I got the trophy sitting right next to me.
More history awaits next month.
Too bad for Els and Miguel Angel Jimenez that the U.S. Open didn't have a B-flight this year. They had to settle for second place, at 3-over 287, their names in the record books, but only as footnotes. So dominant was this performance that Woods never made worse than par over his final 26 holes. He closed with a 4-under 67, the best score of the day, then took a phone call from President Clinton. Jimenez had a 71, while Els finished with a 72.