Tiger Woods’ former caddie Steve Williams on Grand Slam success, wins at The Masters and his future main hopes

Tiger Woods’ former caddie Steve Williams has backed him to beat his newest harm setback and believes the five-time Masters champion’s profession is “not done yet”.

Woods has performed a restricted schedule lately after a automotive crash in February 2021 left him with career-threatening leg and ankle accidents, making simply 11 official begins over the previous 4 seasons and finishing 72 holes on simply 4 events.

The previous world No 1 will miss The Masters – dwell from April 10-13 on Sky Sports – after rupturing his Achilles, elevating doubts over his participation in the remainder of the majors this season and when he’ll be capable of return to aggressive motion.

Williams caddied for him from 1999 to 2011, enjoying an vital position within the ‘Tiger Slam’ and 13 of his 15 main victories, with the New Zealander nonetheless anticipating Woods to try to problem for majors once more.

“Tiger’s still got a task at hand,” Williams instructed the Sky Sports activities Golf podcast. “Clearly he is out injured with one other setback, however I really imagine that he won’t give the prospect of profitable one other main away.

“He’ll need to nonetheless observe and get to the purpose the place he feels he might stand on the tee and bodily compete for 72 holes, figuring out that he is given each little bit of observe he can do to get there and try to win yet one more main.

“He’s not done yet!”

Would Tiger’s profession have been totally different with out Williams?

Williams had already been a caddie for over 20 years and labored for main winners Greg Norman and Raymond Floyd when he changed Mike “Fluff” Cowan as Woods’ looper in March 1999, the place it turned clear the place the long run Grand Slam winner’s priorities stood.

“When I went to take the job with Tiger and talked to him about what his plan is and what his goals were, it was just overwhelming importance placed on the major championships,” Williams defined.

“Following his victory at The Masters [1997], he hadn’t won another major championship when I stepped on the bag in 1999. With every major that passes by, it’s one less chance to win one and he’s not getting his career on the track that he wanted to get on. I could sense that straight away.”

The pair loved main success later that 12 months on the PGA Championship, the place Williams’ choice to overrule Woods on the penultimate gap led them to see off the then-teenager Sergio Garcia at Medinah.

“Tiger read the putt and said that it’s outside the hole, but I assured him it was inside the hole – it was a big call,” Williams admitted. “It is the primary time we have had an opportunity to win a significant. He is truly faltering just a little bit down the stretch and Sergio [Garcia]’s bought the group behind him.

“He knocked that putt in and who knows where his career may have gone had he not knocked that putt in and gone on to beat Sergio. The second major I feel is the hardest one to win and you look at the number of great players, accomplished players that only won one major championship.

“Tiger clearly gained that in 1999, so he isn’t beginning 2000 with that additional strain of attempting to win that second main and begin this run. In an enormous second, I overruled Tiger and I used to be right and that is the place an enormous quantity of our belief that adopted within the subsequent years was born.”

Woods gained three of the 4 majors in 2000, together with the US Open and The Open by a record-breaking margin, earlier than profitable The Masters the next April to carry all 4 majors concurrently.

He stays the final participant to win the Inexperienced Jacket in successive years, following his title defence in 2002 that additionally noticed him declare the US Open, a part of a outstanding run of seven victories in 11 majors.

“Everything was towards breaking Jack’s [Nicklaus] record of 18 major championships,” Williams stated. “As yearly handed alongside and each main glided by, there was simply an increasing number of strain on that. Proper there after which, I really believed that he would eclipse it.

“His dedication, his drive, his practice, the way he played and prepared for and we way he peaked for majors was better than anybody else. It’s a lot of pressure caddying for Tiger, but it’s great pressure and stuff that we’ve thrived on.”

THAT chip and their legacy collectively

Woods failed so as to add to his main tally over the subsequent two seasons however made amends on the 2005 Masters, beating Chris DiMarco in a play-off, having produced one of many biggest pictures in main historical past together with his outstanding chip-in birdie on the par-three sixteenth.

“As Tiger hit the ball at the tee and I’m thinking ‘jeez, that’s a bit left!’,” Williams mirrored.

“I was thinking that’s in the bunker, then it’s not the bunker. Then it’s in the water, now it’s not in the water – I don’t know where it’s gone and what’s over there! Tiger, as we’re walking from the tee up to the green, was asking me what’s over there. I didn’t know what’s over there!

“Tiger stated: ‘Do you suppose if I land the ball on this pitch mark, it will not roll too far up the hill or it will get an excessive amount of velocity will come again and go too far previous the outlet?’ Nicely, he landed the ball precisely on that pitch mark.

“He could stand there for the rest of his life and hit as many shots as he wanted, he’d never reproduce that shot – it was just an incredible moment.”

Williams was there to consolation him a 12 months later at The Open, the primary main gained for the reason that passing of Woods’ father, Earl, with their shut bond extending off the golf course till their separation in 2011.

Collectively We Roared – Williams’ new guide about his time with Woods – displays extra on the tip of their partnership and the restricted communication since, with the veteran caddie feeling ‘lucky’ to have spent so lengthy alongside the 82-time PGA Tour winner.

“When he came to the course, he was all business,” Williams stated. “That was his job, he had a task and he wanted to do that task to the best of his ability every single day he came to the golf course.

“He definitely did have a softer facet, which solely these individuals round him would see off the golf course. He had a really sort contact. He would not say something with none which means and he takes his time.

“I was very fortunate to carry for one of the greatest players ever and be part of some golfing history. He was an incredible guy to work for and he was very generous to myself and my entire family.

“I’ve nothing however reward for the man and I really feel very lucky to have been in a position to stand by him and watch him play among the finest golf ever performed.”

Listen to the full Steve Williams interview on the latest edition of the Sky Sports Golf podcast, hosted every week by Jamie Weir. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Spreaker, whereas vodcast editions might be discovered on the Sky Sports activities Golf YouTube channel.