Steve Williams worked alongside Tiger Woods as a caddie when the American golfer won 13 of his 15 major titles, becoming one of the greatest in the sport.
Between 1999 and 2008, Woods completed the iconic “Tiger Slam” by holding all four major championships at once, and fans – whether they loved or hated him – couldn’t take their eyes off his mission to catch Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 majors.
Williams witnessed both sides of that – first as Tiger’s caddie, then on the other side when he joined Adam Scott’s bag just before his split with Woods in 2011.
The move paid off quickly – in just two years, Scott won the Masters in a playoff over Ángel Cabrera for his first major title.
Adam Scott’s relationship with Williams didn’t just pay off in big moments. It offered another view on what makes Tiger’s world so different, even for another player at the top of the sport.
While there’s no question Tiger had the more decorated career, Scott’s incredible longevity has kept him competitive into his forties. Just last month, he put himself into serious US Open contention again.
On the surface, they’re similar players in temperament – Scott rarely shows emotion during rounds, and Tiger was famous for his ability to lock in under pressure.
Williams played a big role behind the scenes in maintaining that focus, especially with Tiger. Speaking to the Subpar podcast, Williams explained:
“When you are caddying for Tiger the biggest difference between caddying for Tiger and Adam Scott, was just trying to keep the distractions to a minimum.
“Tiger was a phenomenal player and created a lot of interest wherever he went but I wanted him to be on a level playing field with the other guys, so when he was on the range or putting green he was not distracted.
“Because every tournament he went to there were always these tournament directors that tried to entice players to come to their tournament. ‘Hey Tiger have you looked at our tournament? Where does it fit into your schedule? We can offer you a fishing trip here’. It was just keeping those guys at bay and trying to give him the same opportunity that someone else that’s not in his position when they come to the range to practice or putting green that he gets the same opportunity to not be disturbed.
“He always considered the golf course and the practice facility his office, his workplace and I am only here to do my job. I would help him succeed in that.”
There’s a strong case that Scott would have won even more had he not played in Tiger’s era.
Early in his career, Scott revealed that he developed a strategy whenever he found himself paired with Woods, in order to stay focused amid the Tiger-mania.
“Playing with Tiger early in my career was so difficult. He was incredible, intimidating, the crowd was moving, and I actually had to not watch him play when I played with him, that was my trick to be able to play my own game and not get influenced by Tiger-mania,” he said in 2023.
It’s clear that both players – and those around them – had to find ways to manage just how much Tiger’s shadow affected the game. For Williams, the job was often about more than the yardages or the reads – it was about protecting the work environment, so greatness could happen.
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