Steve Williams told Tiger Woods that “To ‘F’Oft’, each of them hung up.
The sequence then repeats itself before the third time called Woods.
After all, he wondered if Williams wanted to be his caddie?
Williams tells the story very well, and he did it all this week in an episode golf The “Subpar” podcast (you can watch it by clicking here) and the book co-written with Evin Priest in “Larrow Together” (available here). Williams said on “Subpar” that he had arrived at the 1999 Doral Open with then-captain Raymond Floyd, and he heard that Woods had parted ways with his caddies at the time, Mike “Fluff” Cowan.
We’re going to have Williams take it from here.
“I didn’t really think of this,” Williams said on the podcast. “Tuesday night in my hotel room – this was after a lag from a New Zealand jet – we had a phone ring in my hotel room. I have a man, a very good friend of mine, who is a golf professional who can imitate tigers onto Tee, his swing, his body language, his movements, his movements, his voice and DA, DA, DA, DA, DA, DA.
“I just thought it was him, and it wasn’t an uncertain term – it was evening – I just told him ‘f’, and give me the ring tomorrow. A few minutes later the phone rang, it was the same question, and I gave the same answer. The third time that was then, I thought, I thought, well, maybe not my partner, Bob, Bob.
“Sure enough, no; that’s not a tiger. So, it’s a great start to the jokes of kiwi and Australia, and I think what we think and get used to.
But why did Williams caddie for Woods?
“Subpar” co-host Drew Stoltz asked, and Williams believed the choice was based on his personality.
“I have always been a person’s reputation with a person’s reputation,” Williams said in the podcast. “I’m not afraid to speak out or myself if you want to.
“The Tiger asked a few people – Mark O’Meara, his good companion; his coach at the time, Butch Harmon; and a few others. Apparently, everyone had a few people asking, they had a few different players, but my name was synonymous with everyone he asked, and that’s where it came out.”
Editor’s Note: To watch the full episode of Golf’s “Subpar” podcast featuring Williams, click here or scroll below. To buy “Let’s Roar Together” co-authored by Williams, Please click here.
“>
