Tiger Woods dissected Pebble Beach with surgical precision Sunday, winning the 100th US Open golf championship by 15 strokes, the largest margin in major championship history.
Woods closed the tournament with a four-under 67 for a four-round total of 272, matching the lowest 72-hole total in US Open history.
He shattered the 101-year-old record for the largest margin of victory in a US Open: 11 shots by Willie Smith in 1899. And he beat the record for largest winning margin in any major: 13 strokes by Old Tom Morris at the 1862 British Open.
Even more than those venerable marks, Woods cherished his 12-under in relation to tournament par designed by the US Golf Association to keep par sacred.
"To finish a US Open this many under par, you know you played well," Woods said.
Woods became the fifth player to post a wire-to-wire victory in the US Open. His 36-hole total of 134 tied the record, and he captured new records for leading margin at 36 holes, six strokes and 54 holes, 10 strokes.
Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez and South African Ernie Els shared second on 287.
American John Huston was fourth with a one-under 70 for 288.
England's Lee Westwood and Ireland's Padraig Harrington tied for fifth on 289, while five-time major champion Nick Faldo was alone on 290.
More history awaits next month. Woods goes to the British Open at St. Andrews with a chance to become only the fifth player, and at age 24, the youngest, to win all four major championships - (Several Sources)
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