BBC SPORT | Special Events | 2000 | The Open


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Monday, 24 July, 2000, 01:22 GMT 02:22 UK

Open one of the best

Brown says The Open at St Andrews was very special

BBC pundit and former Ryder Cup player Ken Brown looks back at the 129th Open Championship.

I'm pleased St Andrews has been put back to complete links conditions because I think some of the courses in recent years have been a little bit soft.

But this week Eddie Adams has done a superb job and set up just the kind of test I think the players would have enjoyed.

They've been fortunate there hasn't been too much wind about, but for spectators, it's been absolutely perfect - sunny weather and not too much of a breeze.

I think this Open has been one of the best ever.

Although Tiger won it, a lot of the leading players were up there challenging with 12 holes to play.

A few of them were gunning for Tiger when he didn't get off to the strongest start to the round, but he always seemed to have it under control.

If you were going to choose a place to win The Open, or play in an Open, or watch an Open, it would always be the Old Course

Ken Brown

St Andrews is always special. It's the home of golf and a unique golf course and if you were going to choose a place to win The Open, or play in an Open, or watch an Open, it would always be the Old Course.

But the golf was completely dominated by Tiger Woods who has played so well from tee to green and putted really well.

His strategy around the golf course has been terrific, plotting his way around, attacking it at times.

It's just been unflawed - he hasn't been in a bunker all week - and he really blew the rest of the field away eventually.

I don't really think there's much the rest of the world's golfers can do to get up to his level.

They've got to keep working harder and harder because he's set a very high standard.

I don't really think there's much the rest of the world's golfers can do to get up to his level

Brown on Tiger Woods

At this moment in time, the field know that unless they are on the top of their game and he is not playing so well, then he is going to be very difficult to beat.

So they just have to keep pushing themselves, working on their game, their fitness, their diet and everything.

But if you consider that he won the US Masters by 12, this year's US Open by 15, he's won here by eight against one of the strongest fields ever assembled in championship golf, he's just far superior to everyone else.

David Duval was a bit unlucky. He went out in 32 and he was putting a bit of pressure on Tiger.

But whenever he got his foot in the door, Tiger would hole a good putt or something, and always had the better of him.

Duval just seemed to run out of steam and I was really disappointed for him when he got himself into the Road Hole bunker because you just knew when it was right up against the lip that it was going to be very difficult to get out.

Disappointment

It was also very disappointing for Ernie Els to finish second in another Major.

He's now finished second in the US Masters, the US Open and now The Open.

To finish second in three Majors in a row is a fantastic achievement and he's just been unlucky that he's come up against people who have played a fraction better than him.

There were lots of other good performance - by Darren Clarke, Thomas Bjorn had a superb effort, and it's been a great week for golf.

As Tiger said in his speech, it was almost destiny that he should be going for the Grand Slam and that he should make it at St Andrews, and it's almost too good to be true.

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