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American Morning
Tiger Woods: Master of Golf
Aired April 09, 2001 - 10:10 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LAURA OKMIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tiger Woods' sports hero growing up was the great Jack Nicklaus, with young Tiger setting his goals to mirror his golfing heroes. But yesterday the student one upped the teacher, accomplishing something even the Golden Bear couldn't. No matter what your take is on the calendar year, at just 25 years old, Woods pulling off the greatest feat in modern day golf, a sweep of all four majors.
CNN/Sports Illustrated's Bob Fiscella paints the picture.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BOB FISCELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was if watching Michelangelo at golf's Sistine Chapel. With one final brush stroke of brilliance, Tiger Woods' masterpiece was complete, an unprecedented fourth straight major.
TIGER WOODS, MASTERS CHAMPION: I don't think I ever dreamt of winning four straight majors. I dreamt of competing against the best players in the world and winning golf tournaments and winning majors. But I never put, you know, four in a row together in my head.
DAVID DUVAL, PROFESSIONAL GOLF PLAYER: It's just an accomplishment for him that I don't know what you would compare it to, because I'm not so sure there's something that you can compare it with, certainly in modern golf.
ROCCO MEDIATE, PROFESSIONAL GOLF PLAYER: You'll never see it again unless he does it. He may just keep winning them. But, you know, just sitting there watching that like that, me and my wife were over there watching, just awe period.
FISCELLA: History did not come easy. While Tiger took apart the field in winning the first two majors, this time it was a three man shootout with two of the game's best. He stared them down without blinking.
WOODS: I don't think I've ever accomplished anything that would surpass this. Going toe to toe with David and Phil, I mean that was, that was fun. It was a lot of fun. And I say it was fun to go out there and know that you're going to have to compete and play well.
PHIL MICKELSON, PROFESSIONAL GOLF PLAYER: What's amazing is that he seems to be able to pull it out whenever he needs it and I don't know what to say. I mean he's played all different conditions very effectively, from St. Andrews to Pebble Beach to Augusta National.
CHRIS DIMARCO, PROFESSIONAL GOLF PLAYER: I have a feeling he's going to win the next three and he's just going to prove everybody, he's going to shut everybody up. So, you know, the guy is phenomenal. I mean nothing phases him, nothing.
FISCELLA (on camera): Perhaps Tiger's most impressive stat, he is now six for six when taking a lead into the final round of the major. Said Woods, "I've had some very special things happen to me. On Sunday, history happened."
From Augusta National covering the Masters, I'm Bob Fiscella.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
OKMIN: Well, we may have argued over the definition of grand slam during the weekend, but considering the course he won on and the competition he beat, the critics have really been somewhat quiet this morning. Some mind boggling numbers to chew on for you. Tiger has won 27 times on the PGA tour in just 98 tournaments, mind you, and six majors in only 17 starts as a professional and as we know, the scariest part of all of that, at 25 years old. He's not even near the peak of what he probably will be.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, no. He's got a good three, four decades longer to go with this.
OKMIN: That's what Phil Nicholson and David Duval wanted to hear you say this morning.
HARRIS: So it gives them some more time to shoot for them.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: No, but they did push him yesterday and I think that Phil Nicholson is 30 and David Duval is 29.
OKMIN: Twenty-nine.
KAGAN: So we have a lot of years ahead of us of watching some great golf and great competition.
HARRIS: That's right.
OKMIN: That's what was really exciting watching that, saying that, you know what, it was great seeing Tiger win the first Masters and running away with it but how exciting was that? I mean really to see that duel to the end. And Tiger loves that.
HARRIS: To see them playing it out, yeah.
KAGAN: Yeah.
HARRIS: They grind it out the whole time and you just never knew exactly how this one was going to end. It was like a great movie.
KAGAN: Well, towards the end you got a little bit of an idea.
HARRIS: By the last hole you kind of did.
KAGAN: Yeah, exactly.
All right, thank you so much.
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