2000 PGA Championship at Valhalla

Tiger Woods Epic Duel With Bob May

The 2000 PGA Championship at Valhalla arrived with Tiger Woods as the prohibitive favorite. What no one saw coming was a 31-year old journeyman named Bob May stand toe-to-toe with Woods in a Rocky Balboa-like battle. The golf played over the first three days led to an epic Sunday showdown.

Woods arrived at Valhalla looking to win his third major of the year. Earlier in the year, he decimated the field at the US Open at Pebble Beach winning by a whopping 15 shots. He followed up his US Open triumph with an 8-shot victory at St. Andrews in The Open Championship. Tiger looked invincible, and Valhalla appeared to fit the bill for another big win.

Bob May had split time in his career between the PGA Tour and European Tour. He grew up playing junior golf in California and was well known throughout the state. He played his collegiate golf at Oklahoma State and played on the 1991 US Walker Cup Team before turning professional. For much of 2000 and 2001, May sat in the top 50 players in the world.

The tournament served as a passing of the torch moment for golf as Woods was paired with 60-year-old Jack Nicklaus for the first two rounds. Nicklaus, the course designer for Valhalla, was playing in his final PGA Championship and failed to make the cut.

Woods started off with a 66 and sat atop the leaderboard along with Scott Dunlap. May opened with an even par 72. In the second round, Woods followed his 66 with a 67 and found himself alone at the top of the leaderboard. Dunlap, the first round co-leader, was one shot behind. May fired a second round 66 to find himself 5 shots off the pace. No one even noticed May sitting T-6.

The third round, moving day, found Woods and Dunlap paired together in the final group. Woods started the day four shots clear of Fred Funk, J.P. Hayes and Davis Love lll all T-3 at -7 under par. Dunlap was three shots clear. It was an opportunity for both Woods and Dunlap to separate themselves from the field. While other players made moves up the leaderboard, Woods and Dunlap failed to separate themselves from the field with matching -2 under par 72’s. Several players shot 68 or better and climbed into contention. Hayes remained in touch with a 68. Australian Greg Chalmers made a move firing a 66 to get within three. Jose Maria-Olazabal fired a 63 to get within four and give himself an outside chance. And of course, Bob May. May fired a second consecutive 66 to move within one shot of Woods. He also guaranteed a final round pairing with Woods.

No one expected what happened on Sunday. Everyone expected May to wilt under the pressure of playing with Tiger in the final round of a major. The journeyman golfer, the nice guy from California, would just be another victim of the intense pressure of Woods’ inevitable victory.

But, as the day went on, Rocky Balboa emerged.

Sunday started with Woods looking shaky with two bogeys in the first six holes. May looked unfazed in the spotlight as he birdied two of the first four holes. May bogeyed the sixth hole but still held a two-shot lead over Woods heading to the par-5 seventh hole. Woods cut the lead to one with a birdie and followed it up with another birdie at 8. All square. Apollo was fighting back. He would crush Rocky on the back nine.

But Rocky kept coming.

May birdied 10, 11 and 12. Woods answered with birdies at 10 and 12 and found himself one behind. Both players birdied the 14th. At 15, May struck a fantastic approach. Woods managed to make a 15-footer for par. But the lead remained one as May missed his birdie attempt. Following matching pars on 16, Woods knocked a wedge close on 17 making birdie to pull even with May.

The back nine had become a two-man race as Woods and May lapped the field. Each had made four birdies on the back nine as they headed for the par-5 18th. Both players reached the green in two. May blew his eagle attempt fifteen feet past the hole and onto the fringe. Woods missed his eagle attempt by five feet. It seemed Rocky was finally finished. His valiant effort done.

But May drained his fifteen-footer for birdie putting the pressure back on Woods. Woods rolled in his five-footer for birdie. Playoff time.

The playoff would be a three-hole playoff contested on 16, 17 and 18. May found the rough with his tee shot on 16 but managed to secure par following a superb third shot from the rough short of the green to within a few inches of the hole. Woods hit the fairway with a 2-iron and knocked his second shot on the green 25-feet from the hole.

Woods then provided golf with an iconic moment. As his birdie putt rolled towards the hole, he started chasing after it and pointing as the ball fell in the hole. He had the lead in the playoff.

Both players scrambled on the 17th for pars. On to the 18th.

There has been a lot of speculation about what happened next. There are thoughts Woods ball was thrown or kicked by a fan. There is no video or photographic evidence this occurred. Woods badly pulled his tee shot left. It appeared to be headed for the thickest rough on the course, but the camera lost sight of the ball. A few seconds later, the ball was spotted bouncing on a cart path and ending up in a much better position.

May pulled his tee shot and also found the rough. Both players missed the fairway with their layup second shots. Woods then found the front bunker with his third shot. May knocked his third shot on the green to 25-feet.

Woods blasted his bunker shot to 18” ensuring his par. May needed to make his 25-footer to extend the playoff. As May’s putt rolled towards the hole, it looked like he might have done it, but the ball broke hard at the end of the putt and missed. Woods had his third consecutive major championship. Rocky fought valiantly, but Apollo Creed won in the end.

Bob May was able to do what more accomplished players had been unable to do; he had gone toe-to-toe with the greatest player of the generation. While others wilted under the intense pressure, May pushed Woods to the brink. Just as in the first movie, it looked like Rocky might actually defeat Apollo, but, just as in the first movie, Rocky fell just short.

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As always, be thankful when you get to play this amazing game. Be grateful for every shot. Appreciate every moment on the course. Now, go golf!