Tiger dominated the season from start to finish.

Winner of Nine PGA Tour titles

Created a earnings record by breaking his own record with nearly $9.2 million in earnings

No one else has ever commanded the attention and he continued to transcend the golf world, turning himself from the best player in the sport to the biggest superstar in sports at the age of 24.

Tiger's AP Male Athlete of the Year, again.

By claiming the first two events he entered this year, he became just the third player to win as many as six in a row, tying Ben Hogan, who did it in 1948. Woods made winning streaks commonplace.

Putting his name in the same breath as the game's greats became standard for Woods, who put forth one of the most dominating efforts ever at the U.S. Open in June.

With just one shot off the biggest victory in PGA Tour history. Pebble Beach as the backdrop, Woods won by a whopping 15 strokes -- the most decisive triumph in a major.

His third career major title also came in Jack Nicklaus' final U.S. Open appearance. Woods has been called the best golfer since Nicklaus, who won 18 majors among his 70 PGA Tour victories.

Already having won the Mercedes Championship, Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, Bay Hill Invitational, The Memorial and U.S. Open, Woods was just getting his march toward history started.

In July, he became just the fifth player -- and the youngest -- to claim the career grand slam. The milestone came with a win at the British Open at famed St. Andrews in Scotland.

Woods put his name on a list that includes only Nicklaus, Hogan, Gene Sarazen and Gary Player.

He also set a tournament scoring record at 19-under-par, giving him the lowest total in three of the four majors, needing only the PGA Championship to complete the sweep.

Less than a month later, Woods accomplished the amazing feat, although he was forced to share the scoring mark with Bob May. The two shot 18-under for the week and engaged in a memorable three-hole playoff.

Woods ended up holding off his fellow Californian and became just the second player in PGA Tour history to win three majors in a season and the first to win four of five. Hogan won three in 1953.

"Another grand slam is winning all four majors and you win them in consecutive chronology," Finchem said. "No player has done that. Tiger is in position to be the first player to do that."

Not satisfied with seven titles, Woods went on to win the NEC Invitational and Canadian Open, giving him three titles in a row and six of eight. 

His remarkable season also included four runner-up finishes and five other top-10 showings. Overall, he placed in the top five 17 times in 21 official events.

"I'd like to see him play a little more," Finchem said. "I always would."

Along the way, Woods led the tour in 22 statistical categories, including a 67.79 scoring average, the lowest in history.

But Woods' legacy during 2000 will be his effect on the game. Worldwide, there is  more interest in golf than ever and purses at PGA Tour events continue to increase because of his presence.

"Obviously, when Tiger played our (TV) ratings were spiked considerably," Finchem said. "But our television ratings were up at tournaments where he did not play."

Woods also had issues with Finchem and the tour's marketing platform, claiming he only heard from the commissioner when he wanted the superstar's presence at a specific event.

That presence helped Woods earn the title of "most powerful person in sports," as named by The Sporting News earlier this month.

Among those capitalizing on Woods' popularity was Phil Mickelson, who claimed a career-best $4.75 million. He would would have been named PGA Tour Player of the Year if not for Woods.

Mickelson ended Woods' string of consecutive titles at six with a victory at the Buick Invitational in February. He won three other events, including the Tour Championship. The lefthander and Woods also were part of an American team that destroyed a group of international players at the Presidents Cup in October.

Notah Begay III -- Woods' teammate at Stanford in the mid-1990s -- also was part of the U.S. team. He claimed two titles for the second straight season after spending a month in jail for a repeat drunk driving offense.

Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland emerged as one of the world's best players, defeating Woods in the final of the World Golf Championships-Match Play Championship in February. Clarke enjoyed his finest season as a professional. Not surprisingly, he is linked to Woods. The two share Butch Harmon as a golf coach.

Tiger Woods was a repeat winner as The Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year.

Woods joined Michael Jordan as the only three-time winner of the AP award since it began in 1931.

He received 47 first-place votes and 160 points from sportswriters and broadcasters to easily defeat back-to-back Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong.

Woods became the sixth player to win the award in consecutive years. The others were tennis great Don Budge, golfer Byron Nelson, track star Carl Lewis, quarterback Joe Montana and Jordan, who won it three years in a row.

"It's very humbling," Woods said. "It's a great honor to be in the presence of such great names. I didn't realized that Jordan was the only other three-time winner."