The one tip Tiger Woods gave to amateur golfers after winning his first US Open in 2000

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Tiger Woods at the turn of the century will be hard to replicate for any golfer, with the icon having dominated the scene back then.

Woods isn’t in the field for the 2025 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am this week, but he does boast a stunning record at the venue.

The 15-time major winner won the 2000 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, before going on to win the US Open there later that year.

Woods has been taking part in the TGL, but many of his fellow stars from that event now turn their focus to the latest event on the PGA Tour.

Wyndham Clark is the defending champion at Pebble Beach, having shot a course record 60 there on his way to the title in 2024.

Tiger Woods told amateurs to ‘work hard’ after 2000 US Open win at Pebble Beach

But his efforts still fall short of those of Woods back in 2000, where he beat Ernie Els and Miguel Angel Jimenez by a phenomenal 15 shots.

Clinching his first US Open title and third major title overall, Woods finished on 12-under after rounds of 65, 69, 71 and 67.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, one question from his winning press conference focused on any advice he could give to amateurs who want to improve their game.

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“How can you play better golf?” Woods responded. “Well, first some people are beyond help (laughter). And two, I guess… to be honest with you, there’s really no substitute for hard work.

“My dad has always said, you get out of it what you put into it, and there’s no shortcuts. And in this game, there’s no crueler statement than that, because you go out there. And if you work hard on your game, you’re going to get better.

“If you’re just a weekend golfer, that’s all you are, a weekend golfer who goes out once a weekend, if that, and expects to hit the great tee shots and make those big putts and take all the cash from his buddies. That’s not going to happen every time unless you get out there and work.”

Tiger Woods adjusts putting technique by raising hands on way to 2000 US Open title

Woods boasts the biggest major championship winning margin thanks to his remarkable efforts, which is a record that doesn’t look like being beaten anytime soon.

And even more impressively was the fact that it kick-started a monstrous run from the American, who went on to win the 2000 Open Championship and PGA Championship, and the 2001 Masters.

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The likes of world number one Scottie Scheffler and number three Rory McIlroy will now be aiming for similar displays to that of Woods in California this week.

And while many fans may be disappointed to hear that simply ‘hard work’ was behind his stunning success, Woods fortunately also detailed his efforts on the green.

Question if there was a refinement with his putting that made his 2000 US Open venture all fall into place, he said: “Yeah, actually there was. Wednesday… actually Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I was not putting all that well.

“And I couldn’t hit my line very well, consistently. I was making putts on the practice round, but it just didn’t feel right.

“It didn’t feel like I was rolling the ball. It was kind of skidding a little bit. And I worked for about two and a half hours on Wednesday out there on the putting green.

“And I found that my hands were a little too low. I raised them up, which is different than what I’ve been doing.

“I’ve been trying to get them lower, just overcooked it a little bit. And from there, I raised my hands up, which allowed me to release the blade down the line and get back to where I was for most of this year.

“This year, I’ve been trying to lower my hands. But as I said, I think I just overcooked it, got them too low. The toe was up in the air, hitting a lot of pulls. So I got the putter a little more balanced on the ground.

“And from there, once I started making a few good strokes on the putting green, it kind of built up a little bit and I went out there on the golf course on Thursday and putted beautifully early in the round.

“And I said, ‘Yeah, this is right; I’m on the right track. Now I just need to keep doing it.’ And I was able to do it all week.”