Carrying Tiger Woods for more than a decade, a period that saw many of Tiger Woods’ greatest moments, Steve Williams is likely often aghast at the 15-time major champion’s on-court heroics. But it was the act of kindness that surprised Williams the most.
The former caddy reveals Tiger’s most surprising moves during their partnership, as well as fascinating anecdotes from Woods’ epic 2000 season, in a new podcast interview.
Steve Williams reveals the tiger gesture that surprised him most
With Williams holding the clubs and providing advice, Woods dominated the golf world from 1999 to 2011. With Williams’ help, Tiger won 13 majors and dozens of PGA Tour events, making them the greatest player and caddy duo in history.
Their relationships don’t last long, and their professional divorces are often ugly, public, and sometimes personal.
But during a recent appearance on the “Tee It Up Golf” podcast, Williams struck a different tone, sharing his fond memories of working with Tiger.
When Williams was asked what it was like when he first started caddying for Tiger in 1999, Williams revealed a simple gesture Woods made every day that shocked him: thanking him for his help.
“When I first caddyed for Tiger, the most important thing to me was, after every round, good or bad, it didn’t matter, no matter what, ‘Thanks for your help today, Steve,'” Williams shared.
Williams contrasted Tiger’s postgame reaction with his experiences with other pros, who can be standoffish after a bad game.
“A lot of times when you do things for men and things don’t go well and you’re having a bad day, they’d rather not see you. They don’t want to talk to you. They don’t want to see you,” Williams said with a laugh. “But he, it’s amazing, he thanks me every day for this job. As a young man, the pressure he’s under… I can’t believe it.”
Williams also spoke at length about Woods’ incredible desire to win.
“When you get a guy who’s at the top of his game, whether it’s Rory [McIlroy]”Whether it’s Scottie Scheffler now, it’s all about the desire to win, and that’s what’s incredible about Tiger,” Williams explained. “Honestly, his desire to win is unbelievable. The only measure of his week’s success was that he won a golf tournament. If he doesn’t win the game, it’s not a successful week. So it’s very stressful to work for someone under that kind of pressure. “
He continued, “The pressure that goes into caddying for Tiger can be hard to understand. But I’m tired of putting all of that in a book to give people an idea of what it’s like to caddy for him.”
that book, Let’s roar together: shoulder to shoulder with Tiger, completing his epic journey of 13 Grand Slams in 12 yearsco-authored by Williams and Evin Priest, will be released in April 2025.
Why Tiger Woods is unhappy with 15-stroke win at U.S. Open
One of the most valuable insider information Williams shared during the “Tee It Up Golf” interview was Woods’ historic 15-shot win at the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, the first of four consecutive majors known as the “Tiger Slam.”
Williams said Tiger was “disgusted” by the few holes he played that week at Pebble Beach (Woods was 12 under at Pebble Beach; no other player was under par), despite Tiger’s historic dominance of the tournament.
Woods is keen to perform even better at the next major, the 2000 Open at St. Andrews. So Tiger gave Williams his order shortly after signing the winning scorecard at Pebble Beach.
“He said, ‘Steve, I want you to hurry up and get to St. Andrews and I’m going to play better than I did this week. I want you to know the course as well as you can,” Williams explained.
Williams then spent a week at the old course, learning every nook and cranny. It turns out it’s worth it.
“To his credit, if you asked me what was the best 72-hole event he’s ever played, it was that tournament [the 2000 Open at St. Andrews]. He didn’t hit a bunker shot, and he didn’t miss a shot. This was the best performance I’ve had in the 12 years I’ve been caddying for him…it’s unbelievable. “
In 2000, Woods won the Old Course with a total score of 19 under par, the lowest score in major championship history at the time. His margin of victory? Eight shots.
”>
