Tiger Woods Wins Record 4 ESPYs

L A S   V E G A S, Feb. 13 -- Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus made the ESPYawards a golf show.

Woods won a record four awards, giving him 11 career ESPYs, andNicklaus received a lifetime achievement award from the ESPNtelevision network Monday night. (ESPN, like ABCNEWS.com, is owned by Disney.)

Woods won male athlete of the year, pro golfer of the year,championship performance of the year and come-from-behindperformance of the year as he capped his 2000 season by breakingthe one-year record of three awards he shared with Michael Jordan.Woods now has 11 career ESPYs, surpassing Jordan's 10.

"It was a very special moment, one I will always remember,"Woods said of his victory at Pebble Beach, where he was seven shotsdown with seven holes to go. "I guess I like Pebble Beach."

Jones Wins Three Awards

Nicklaus, winner of 71 golf tournaments including 18 majors,received a standing ovation at the ninth annual ESPY Awards showhosted by Samuel L. Jackson at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

"It's both gratifying and humbling," Nicklaus said of thefirst lifetime achievement award given at the ESPYs.

Nicklaus' name "is synonymous with golf," said actor MartinSheen, who introduced Nicklaus.

Olympic star Marion Jones won three ESPYs — female athlete ofthe year, U.S. female Olympic athlete of the year and, for a fourthstraight year, women's track and field athlete of the year.

For the third consecutive year and fourth time in five years,Joe Torre was the coach-manager of the year. His New York Yankeeswere cited as team of the year for the third time in five years.

Australian Olympic star Cathy Freeman received the ESPY for mostmemorable moment for her performance at the Olympics and a courageand humanitarian award named after the late Arthur Ashe, whichearned her an emotional standing ovation.

Other notable winners were Pete Sampras as male tennis performerof the year for the seventh time; and Walter Ray Williams as bowlerof the year for the third time in four years.