A year-by-year look at Tiger Woods’ displays at the US Open

Planet Sport writer
18 January 2021

Tiger Wood’s has 15 Majors under his belt, but only three US Opens. Planet Sport tracks Woods' performances at the third Major.

The US Open accounts for just three of Tiger Wood's 15 Majors.

But there can be no doubt that he's left his mark on the championship in a spectacular way.

His extraordinary 15-shot victory in the 2000 US Open at Pebble Beach remains one of the most dominant performances in the history of golf.

By contrast, his 2008 triumph at Torrey Pines when debilitated by a leg injury must count as one of the bravest.

Here's Planet Sport's year-by-year look at Woods in the US Open.

1995 - Withdrawn

A debut to forget for Woods, then a teenage amateur. Playing out of Shinnecock's high rough, he injured a wrist at his third hole in round two and withdrew two holes later. He posted a 74 in round one.

1996 - 82nd

Still an amateur, Woods at least got to play all four rounds at Oakland Hills in Michigan after backing up a 76 with a 69. Weekend scores of 77-72 left him down in 82nd.

1997 - Tied 19th

Woods was suddenly a global superstar after his dominant 12-shot victory in The Masters just a couple of months earlier.

Many expected him to blow the field apart here at Congressional too. A second-round 67 put him ninth at halfway, but a quiet weekend left Woods 10 back from South Africa's Ernie Els.

1998 - Tied 18th

The narrow Olympic Club in San Francisco didn't play to Wood's strengths and he was never a factor. His 10-over total was again 10 behind the winner Lee Janzen.

1999 - Tied 3rd

After failing to break the top 15 in his first US Open, Woods finally made his mark with a top three at famed Pinehurst No.2 in North Carolina.

Never outside the top five after each round, Woods was one back with two to play but closed bogey-par to land two back from Payne Stewart. This was a turning point though. Because 12 months later...

2000 - WINNER!

Wow! Having won the regular PGA Tour event held there in February, Pebble Beach looked a great venue for Woods to make his mark. But no-one could have imagined he'd blitz the field by a record 15 shots.

The two runners-up shot 3-over; Woods won with 12-under to become the first US Open champ to triumph with double digits under par. A first US Open and a third Major title.

2001 - Tied 12th

Woods couldn't follow that. His lacklustre defense at Southern Hills in Tulsa started with a 74 and he was still outside the top 40 at halfway. He battled gamely to rise to T12 with a pair of weekend 69s but that was seven behind the play-off number.

2002 - WINNER!

A second US Open win and a second Major title of 2002. After a three-shot win at The Masters two months earlier, Woods repeated the winning margin with a wire-to-wire success at Bethpage Black in New York.

Rounds of 67-68 set the tone and he saw it out on the weekend. This was the era of peak dominance for Woods as he hoisted the silverware for the seventh time in the last 11 Majors.

2003 - Tied 20th

Some US Open tracks played into Woods' hands but the tricky Olympia Fields in Chicago did not.

While Jim Furyk nudged his way to victory, Woods fell away on the weekend, dropping fifth at the midpoint (R2 66) to 20th. His worst US Open finish in seven attempts.

2004 - Tied 17th

Back to Shinnecock in New York, the scene of Woods' withdrawal as an amateur in 1996. But this one fell flat again.

A slow start and Woods was never a factor, struggling in the brutal weekend conditions and finishing a distant 14 behind Retief Goosen's winning score.

2005 - 2nd

After two winless years in the Majors, Woods would land two more in 2005.

It could easily have been three but for the brilliance of Michael Campbell. Woods picked off the rest of the field at Pinehurst No.2 after starting Sunday six back but couldn't get to the resilient Kiwi. Bogeys at 16 and 17 left Tiger at +2 and two behind.

2006 - Missed cut

Woods' only missed cut at a US Open between 1996 and 2013 but an understandable one.

This was his first event after the death of his father and Woods clearly wasn't ready to play. A pair of 76s at Winged Foot meant an early exit although he would bounce back by winning the final two majors of the season.

2007 - Tied 2nd

Scoring was brutal at Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania but Woods was ready for the fight.

A classy 69 in round three put Woods tied second on the leaderboard and he was fully expected to overtake leader Angel Cabera in Sunday's closer. He pushed hard but the Argentine wouldn't yield, Woods' +6 total one too many.

2008 - WINNER!

After finishing runner-up in two of the previous three US Opens, Woods didn't want to let this one slip through his grasp. He was a dominant force in the regular PGA Tour event held at Torrey Pines in his native California so the planets looked aligned.

However, there was one huge obstacle: Woods' damaged left leg. Battling a torn ACL and two stress fractures, he was in enormous pain but refused to give in.

A 12-foot birdie putt at the 72nd hole forced a play-off with Rocco Mediate and, fighting through the agony, Woods finally saw off his plucky opponent after 19 holes of a Monday play-off. Woods would have to sit out the rest of the year to let his injury recover but at least he could reflect on one of most remarkable major wins.

2009 - Tied 6th

Back to Bethpage Black, the scene of Woods' first US Open win.

A final 54 holes of 69-68-69 was the best in the field but Woods had been caught in the atrocious weather conditions in round one and could never fully recover. A what-might-have-been situation as his bid for Major No.15 fell four short.

2010 - Tied 4th

Woods had gone on a self-imposed break from the game after a string of marital infidelities came to light.

Clearly lacking in competitive golf, he'd defied the odds to take T4 at Augusta and hopes were that he could find some more magic back at Pebble Beach where he'd won by 15 a decade earlier. He did, but not quite enough.

A 66 on Moving Day put Woods tied fourth going into Sunday's final lap but he stalled. A 75 left him four back from winner Graeme McDowell.

2011 - Didn't play

After being the event's dominant figure from 1999 to 2010 - three wins, two seconds, a third, a fourth and a sixth - Woods handed the torch over. Injury denied him a place in the field at Congressional where a young Rory McIlroy won by a Tiger-esque 11 strokes.

2012 - Tied 21st

Woods' T21 at Olympic Club in San Francisco looks modest but it was a very different story at halfway. Woods opened 69-70 to share the 36-hole with Jim Furyk and David Toms. Could he land a first Major for four years? The answer was no after a poor weekend (75-73).

2013 - Tied 32nd

While Woods would bounce back to something near peak form with five wins in 2013, he couldn't get in the mix at Merion.

He undid some of the damage of an opening 73 with a Friday 70 to lie T13 at the midpoint but shot the worst weekend total (150) of his US Open career.

2014 - Didn't play

Woods had missed The Masters due to surgery on his back for a pinched nerve. And he was also a no-show at Pinehurst No.2.

2015 - Missed cut

Woods had somehow managed T17 in April's Masters but his game was in crisis.

A missed cut was one thing but rounds of 80-76 at Chambers Bay were another. He slipped outside the top 200 in the world after this US Open and didn't make the cut in the final two Majors either.

2016 - Didn't play

Once more, a US Open - this one at Oakmont - went ahead without Woods in the field. His website reported solemnly that he was "physically still not ready to play" after back surgery.

2017 - Didn't play

Perhaps Woods' lowest point as he missed the US Open for the fourth time in seven years. He didn't play any Major in 2016-2017.

2018 - Missed cut

Woods was a welcome presence in the field again as he lined up at Shinnecock once more. Not for the first time at that course, his experience wasn't a happy one with rounds of 78-72 leading to a missed cut.

2019 - Tied 21st

The year 2019 will always be remembered for Woods' extraordinary triumph at The Masters where he won a first Major in 11 years.

With the US Open back at Pebble, the dreamers wondered if he could land a 16th Major. Understandably, it proved beyond him although at least he made his first US Open weekend since 2013.

2020 - Missed cut

The death of his father before the tournament had compromised Woods' hopes at Winged Foot in 2006.

But 14 years on, the outcome at the New York course was the same as a struggling Woods returned rounds of 73-77 to miss the cut.