Steve Williams looks back at caddying for Tiger Woods ahead of the release of his new book, Together We Roared.
Steve Williams’ account as Tiger Woods’ caddie opened with a T56 finish and one of the worst golf shots the Kiwi bagman has ever seen.
After long stints on the bag for Greg Norman and Raymond Floyd, the Kiwi joined the rising star Woods for the Bay Hill Invitational in Orlando in March 1999.
It was an eventful tournament; Woods carded a two-over 74 in his opening round, then even par across his next three.
But it was a shot on the par-four 13th that Williams won’t forget. The hole has a water hazard that runs across the fairway, so players lay up with an iron off the tee, then attack the green with a wedge with bunkers on the left and water on the right.
“He actually missed the green 20 yards left with a wedge, which was like 30 yards left of where the flag was. For a wedge, it’s not actually possible to hit it that far off line,” Williams recalls.
“After the tournament, we had a great laugh. I said, A, that’s the worst shot I’ve ever seen, and B, you’re really overrated. You’ve got to pull your finger out here, mate. We had a good laugh at that.”
Steve Williams took over as Tiger Woods' caddie in 1999. Photo / Getty Images
That was the start of a journey that would unfold over the next 12 years; Woods proved he was anything but overrated, going on to claim 13 major championships with Williams as his caddie. It’s a story Williams is now recounting in his new book Together We Roared.
Written alongside journalist Evin Priest, the book tells the story of Woods’ triumphs from the caddie’s point of view, offering a unique look into the partnership and how Woods operates, as well as some personal things Williams has not shared before. There is no input from Woods in the book.
“It’s a difficult situation to explain. When you caddie with somebody and you part ways with somebody, it’s like the end of the road,” he says.
“It’s not like there’s anything personal. It’s just the nature of the business that you’re in. It happens to all caddies, and Evin and I wrote the book with a bit of a view of how would Tiger perceive this book if he read it? We’ve sent him a copy of the book, and we know that if he does take the time to read it, I think he’ll really enjoy it.”
The pair didn’t have to wait too long for their first major championship together, winning the PGA Championship in August 1999; their second tournament win together after the Memorial Tournament in June.
That win at the PGA Championship was the first of 13 major titles the pair enjoyed together. While there were several memorable moments on the way, the 2005 Masters will be one that fans of the sport are quick to remember.
In contrast to the “worst shot I’ve ever seen” at Bay Hill, Woods’ 2005 triumph at Augusta National – his fourth Green Jacket and third with Williams on the bag – featured a shot that has gone down as one of golf’s iconic moments.
Woods started the tournament with a two-over 74 to sit seven shots off leader Chris DiMarco. By the end of the third round, Woods had moved to 11-under to hold a three-shot lead over DiMarco heading into the final 18 holes.
With the tournament in the balance heading down the stretch of the final round, Woods pulled off one of the most memorable shots in the sport with his hole-out for birdie on the par-four 16th.
With the ball sitting on the fringe, right on the edge of where it connected with the rough, Woods inspected the green for a few moments before standing over the ball to take his shot.
“It’s hard to explain because you can’t explain the severity of the slope,” Williams says.
“There was some risk that if it got too much speed coming down, it could actually run back towards that bunker and maybe even go in the bunker. What was most amazing about it, he took a long time to look at that shot, and he picked what was like an old ball mark.
“He said to me, ‘Stevie, if I land around that ball mark, do you think it won’t go too far up the hill and come back down?’
“He was just trying to get it within a 6ft [1.8m] circle of the hole and, incredibly, when he hit the shot, it landed exactly on that ball mark.”
The ball rolled towards the hole and slowed right up in its approach; almost coming to a complete halt on the edge of the cup with the Nike swoosh on show before making one final rotation and falling to give Woods a two-shot lead – leading to scenes of jubilation.
“Firstly, it was the worst high-five I’ve ever given. There was so much excitement, the high-five was a complete whiff,” Williams says.
“When you look back, it’s like a TV commercial, the way the ball sat on the lip and then as it turned over with a Nike swoosh. I mean you couldn’t script that.”
Woods went on to bogey the next two holes, before beating DiMarco in a playoff.
As for Williams’ favourite memories working on the bag with Woods, he says it’s hard to go past the time spent at St Andrews in Scotland.
“The Open Championship there has just been a remarkable event, so to be able to be on Tiger’s bag two times when he won the Open Championship at St Andrews was pretty special,” he says.
“Tiger, when he won there in 2000, I would probably venture to say, in my eyes, that was the best tournament he ever played.
“I realise the tournament before, at the US Open, he won it by 15 shots, which is remarkable. But as far as his play, that was remarkable. He didn’t hit it in one bunker at St Andrews in 2000 and that, in my eyes, might have been his best 72-hole performance.”
Together We Roared is out on April 2. Steve Williams will be appearing at the Auckland Writers Festival 13–18 May.
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.
