With over a decade under Tiger Woods’ belt, a stretch that featured many of Tiger’s greatest moments, Steve Williams was likely to be often left shocked by 15 times major winner heroics on the course. But it was a gesture of kindness that surprised Williams more than anything.
The former caddy revealed Tiger’s most surprising gesture from their time working together, along with a great anecdote from Woods’ epic 2000 season, in a new podcast interview.
Steve Williams reveals Tiger’s gesture that surprised him the most
With Williams holding his clubs and offering advice, Woods dominated the golf world from 1999-2011. Tiger won 13 majors and dozens of PGA Tour events with Williams at his side, making them perhaps the greatest player-caddy duo in history.
Their relationship would not last, and their professional divorce was often ugly, public and, at times, personal.
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But in one last appearance on the “Tee It Up Golf” podcast.Williams struck a different tone, sharing fond memories of his time working with Tiger.
When Williams was asked what it was like when he started caddying for Tiger in 1999, Williams revealed a simple gesture Woods offered him every day that left him shocked: thanking him for his help.
“The thing that stood out to me more than anything when I first went to caddy for Tiger, after every single round, good or bad, indifferent, whatever, ‘Thanks for your help today, Steve,'” Williams shared.
Williams contrasted Tiger’s post-round reaction with his experience with other pros, who could be cold after bad rounds.
“A lot of times when you’re taking over guys, and things aren’t going well, and you’re having a bad day, they’d rather not see you. They don’t want to talk to you. They don’t want to see you,” Williams said with a laugh. “But he, it was impressive, thanked me every day for the job. And as a young man under the pressure he was… I couldn’t believe it.”
Williams also spoke at length about Woods’ incredible desire to win.
“When you get somebody who’s at the top of their game, whether it’s Rory (McIlroy), whether it’s Scottie Scheffler now, it just comes down to wanting to win, and that’s where Tiger was just unbelievable,” Williams explained. “His will to win was beyond belief to be honest. And his only measure of a successful week was when he won a golf tournament. If he didn’t win the tournament, it wasn’t a successful week. So to work for someone under that kind of pressure was very intense.”
He continued, “The amount of pressure that was involved with caddying for Tiger was probably beyond comprehension. But I was tired of putting it all together in the book and giving people an idea of ​​what it was like to caddy for him.”
that book Together We Roared: Alongside Tiger for his Epic Twelve Year Thirteen Major Runwhich Williams co-authored with Evin Priest, was released in April 2025.
Why Tiger Woods Was Unhappy With 15-Strike US Open Win
One of the best pieces of inside information Williams shared his interview with “Tee It Up Golf” included Woods’ historic 15-stroke victory in the 2000 US Open at Pebble Beachthe first of his four consecutive major victories called the “Tiger Slam”.
Williams said that despite dominating the competition at a historic level, Tiger was “disgusted” by some of the holes he played that week at Pebble Beach (Woods finished 12 under at Pebble; no other player finished at par).
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Woods was desperate to somehow do better at the next major, the 2000 St. Louis Open. Andrews. So, moments after signing his winning card at Pebble, Tiger gave Williams an order.
“He said, ‘Stevie, I want you to take your ass to St. Andrews, I’m going to play even better than I played this week. I want you to know the course as well as you can know that course,'” Williams explained.
Williams then spent a week on the Old Course getting to know every nook and cranny. Turns out it was worth the effort.
“And to Tiger’s credit, if you asked me what was the best 72-hole event he played, it was that tournament (the 2000 Open at St. Andrews). He didn’t hit it in a bunker and he didn’t miss a shot. That was the best performance in the 12 years I’ve played for him … it was unbelievable.”
Woods won the 2000 Open on the Old Course with a 19-under total, which at the time was the lowest par score in major championship history. His margin of victory? Eight shots.
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