What do you think about the relationship between Tiger Woods and Steve Williams? 82 PGA Tour victories gave Woods the title of the GOAT. In his prime, Williams played a crucial role, carrying his bag for 59 of those wins. Thanks to that, their partnership remains a hot topic to this day. However, their partnership ended on a sour note, and Woods also treated his caddie like a “slave.” Now, in 2025, Steve Williams has something new to say—contradicting his earlier statements. So, what changed? How did he have a change of heart?
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 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. “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 shocked as no other pro golfer had done the same with him in the past. It didn’t stop there. Despite having commitments to the media and TV interviews, Woods remained humble as Williams further revealed “he thanked me after every round he played a golf.” This sounds surprising considering Williams’s previous statements about the GOAT.
December 20, 2024, Orlando, Florida, USA: Tiger Woods speaks to the media after the PNC Championship Pro-Am at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club. Orlando USA – ZUMAw109 20241220_fap_w109_014 Copyright: xDebbyxWongx
Because Steve Williams served as Tiger Woods’s caddie for 12 years from 1999 to 2011, he wasn’t treated well by him. Woods even fired him just over a call, as revealed on New Zealand’s Stuff magazine. Four years after parting ways with Woods in 2015, 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.”
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 caddying for 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.
What are your thoughts on it? Feel free to share it in the comments below!
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