82 PGA Tour victories gave Woods the title of the GOAT. And in his 13 out of 15 Major titles, a permanent fixture by his side was his caddie Steve Williams, who has also been associated with other golfing greats like Greg Norman and Ray Floyd. However, their partnership ended on a sour note. It was just a matter of a phone call that ended their partnership that spanned from 1999 to 2011. And, to be honest, the string of events leading to firing that Williams had revealed did not put Tiger in a good light.
At the 2011 U.S. Open at Congressional, Tiger withdrew because of a knee injury. After that, Adam Scott got in touch with Williams, asking him to caddie for him for just that one week. Williams confirmed with Tiger if he was OK with that, and Tiger gave his approval. But Williams said he changed his mind out of nowhere after the former had already said yes to Scott.
“Tiger for one reason or another, he told me yes then disapproved it. He basically said to me well if you go ahead and do it then I’ll fire you. I thought he was joking. It got me by surprise. I had supported him and feel like I had done a great job for him and had done everything he had ever asked of me,” Williams had said. The tie-up formally ended after a week when the two met in person. Four years after this, Williams, in his memoir “Out of The Rough, ” talked about it. He said, “One thing that really pi**ed me off was how he would flippantly toss a club in the general direction of the bag, expecting me to go over and pick it up. I felt uneasy about bending down to pick up his discarded club, it was like I was his slave.” Now, in 2025, Steve Williams has something new to say—contradicting his earlier statements.
Recently, Steve Williams and Evin Priest of Australian Golf Digest were with Soly and TC on the No Laying Up podcast. They discussed “Together We Roared,” a book by Williams and Golf Digest contributor Evin Priest about the time he spent as Tiger’s caddie from 1999 to 2011. While they talked about a lot of things, Williams also shared how much gratitude Woods used to express toward him, which started from the first day itself.
“I have the utmost respect for this guy is and it was from the very first day March 17 1999 when I put Tigers Woods bag on my shoulder for the very first time, and obviously I was very nervous about it as well. A lot of fan fear around. The first day was the Pro-Am at Bay Hill. After the round and that, he lived close by. So, the very first week I came from, he would do his practice away from the course,” he said.
“And, you know, I’m new to him, and I wasn’t, you know, jumping in his car and going back to his house or whether, you know, as the relationship developed, that would change. But he said, Stevie, thanks very much for today. Well done, great job,” Williams explained further. Witnessing this, he was stunned because as he put it, “It stuck with me I couldn’t believe it no golf pro that I carried for had ever thanked me after every round.” It didn’t stop there.
“He took the time when he finished his round, there’s obviously a lot of media around he’s got commitments, his TV channels want interviews, whatever it might be, but he made a point after every single round to thank you and that’s something I don’t think there’s too many Pros whose caddies can say that,” Williams added. This sounds surprising, considering Williams’s previous statements about the GOAT. However, in “Together We Roared, set to release on April 1, he seems to have only good things to say about Tiger.
“Before I ride off into the sunset, I wanted to share something with the world that really took fans inside my 12 years with Tiger,” Williams said. “I also wanted golf fans to know I have nothing but admiration for Tiger and the chapter we worked together. It’s rare in golf history a player and caddie combine for 13 major wins and over 80 victories worldwide.” It is certainly hard to figure out what kind of partnership, because, after his ‘slave’ remark, this isn’t the first time Williams has said some good things about Wood and the relationship they share.
Tiger Woods gave a “new meaning” to Steve Williams
Twelve years of being a caddie to someone is a very long time. You not only share a lot of moments together, but it also builds up a bond, sometimes lasting life lifetime. Additionally, during that time, Tiger had begun his Tiger Slam with four consecutive victories in all majors. Yes, Woods and Williams parted ways, but the golfer’s influence on his caddie’s life was very big.
He talked about last year in February and said, “I think we had a bond probably closer than any of the other players I’d carry for, certainly because I was considerably older than Tiger. We struck a relationship where we both had the same attitude towards seeing the same kind of hard work, dedication. We just struck a bond that probably I haven’t struck with any other player. So we became very tight, for sure.” Hold up there more.
As they had more of a partnership instead of a boss-employee bond on the greens, their relationship off the greens wasn’t different either. Thanks to Tiger Woods, Williams understood the meaning of fitness in his life. He talked about it, saying, “When I went to work with him, he brought a whole new meaning for the word ‘fitness’ to me.” Aside from this, this time, Steve Williams expressing admiration for Tiger Woods can make one wonder about their time together.
