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 accomplished but”.
Woods has performed a restricted schedule in recent times 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 activities – after rupturing his Achilles, elevating doubts over his participation in the remainder of the majors this season and when he’ll have the ability to return to aggressive motion.
Williams caddied for him from 1999 to 2011, enjoying an essential function within the ‘Tiger Slam’ and 13 of his 15 main victories, with the New Zealander nonetheless anticipating Woods to attempt to problem for majors once more.
“Tiger’s nonetheless bought a activity at hand,” Williams informed 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 successful 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, understanding that he is given each little bit of observe he can do to get there and attempt to win yet one more main.
“He is not accomplished but!”
A glance again at highlights from Woods’ 5 wins at Augusta Nationwide, together with his 2019 success
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 grew to become clear the place the long run Grand Slam winner’s priorities stood.
“After I went to take the job with Tiger and talked to him about what his plan is and what his objectives had been, it was simply overwhelming significance positioned on the main championships,” Williams defined.
Tiger Woods and Steve Williams’ partnership is essentially the most profitable in main historical past
“Following his victory at The Masters [1997], he hadn’t gained one other main championship after I stepped on the bag in 1999. With each main that passes by, it is one much less likelihood to win one and he is not getting his profession on the observe that he needed to get on. I might sense that right 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 learn the putt and stated that it is outdoors the opening, however I assured him it was inside the opening – it was an enormous name,” Williams admitted. “It is the primary time we have had an opportunity to win a significant. He is really faltering a little bit bit down the stretch and Sergio [Garcia]’s bought the gang behind him.
Try highlights from Woods’ 4 earlier wins on the PGA Championship
“He knocked that putt in and who is aware of the place his profession might have gone had he not knocked that putt in and gone on to beat Sergio. The second main I really feel is the toughest one to win and also you take a look at the variety of nice gamers, completed gamers that solely gained one main championship.
“Tiger clearly gained that in 1999, so he is not beginning 2000 with that further 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 successful The Masters the next April to carry all 4 majors concurrently.
A glance again at an historic Masters victory for Woods at Augusta Nationwide in 2001, the place he accomplished the ‘Tiger Slam’
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 exceptional run of seven victories in 11 majors.
“Every part was in direction of breaking Jack’s [Nicklaus] file of 18 main 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.
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“His dedication, his drive, his observe, the way in which he performed and ready for and we approach he peaked for majors was higher than anyone else. It is a whole lot of strain caddying for Tiger, however it’s nice strain and stuff that we have 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 exceptional chip-in birdie on the par-three sixteenth.
We make a journey into the Augusta archives to look again at THAT Tiger Woods chip from his 2005 victory
“As Tiger hit the ball on the tee and I am pondering ‘jeez, that is a bit left!’,” Williams mirrored.
“I used to be pondering that is within the bunker, then it is not the bunker. Then it is within the water, now it is not within the water – I do not know the place it is gone and what’s over there! Tiger, as we’re strolling from the tee as much as the inexperienced, was asking me what’s over there. I did not know what’s over there!
“Tiger stated: ‘Do you assume 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 opening?’ Nicely, he landed the ball precisely on that pitch mark.
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“He might stand there for the remainder of his life and hit as many pictures as he needed, he’d by no means reproduce that shot – it was simply an unbelievable second.”
Williams was there to consolation him a 12 months later at The Open, the primary main gained because the passing of Woods’ father, Earl, with their shut bond extending off the golf course till their separation in 2011.
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Collectively We Roared – Williams’ new e-book 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 got here to the course, he was all enterprise,” Williams stated. “That was his job, he had a activity and he needed to try this activity to the most effective of his means each single day he got here to the golf course.
“He actually did have a softer aspect, which solely these folks round him would see off the golf course. He had a really form contact. He does not say something with none which means and he takes his time.
“I used to be very lucky to hold for one of many biggest gamers ever and be a part of some {golfing} historical past. He was an unbelievable man to work for and he was very beneficiant to myself and my whole household.
“I’ve nothing however reward for the man and I really feel very lucky to have been capable of stand by him and watch him play among the finest golf ever performed.”
Take heed to the complete Steve Williams interview on the newest version of the Sky Sports activities Golf podcast, hosted each week by Jamie Weir. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Spreaker, whereas vodcast editions will be discovered on the Sky Sports activities Golf YouTube channel.
