Tiger Woods and Steve Williams formed one of the most successful player-caddie duos the sport has ever seen.
Together, they claimed 13 major titles, with Williams on the bag during what was undoubtedly the most dominant era in golf history.
By 2001, Woods held all four majors simultaneously. He set a record with 142 consecutive cuts made on the PGA Tour and spent an astonishing 281 straight weeks at world number one. It was a level of consistency that may never be matched.
But even legends are not immune to setbacks. After winning the 2008 US Open while battling a torn ACL and two stress fractures – not to mention dealing with off-course controversies – Woods never quite regained his old form.
Williams stayed by his side through those difficult years, but their relationship eventually broke down. Woods felt betrayed by his caddie and decided to let him go, something that did not sit well with Williams at all.
Steve Williams was furious after being sacked by Tiger Woods
According to Williams, the split came down to what happened at the 2011 US Open. With Woods sidelined by injury, Adam Scott asked Williams to step in as his caddie for the tournament.
Woods initially agreed, but after the New Zealander had already travelled to America, he changed his mind and warned that if he followed through, he would be let go.
Williams decided to caddie for Scott anyway, and the golf icon followed through on his warning. Afterwards, Williams did not hold back during a television interview.
He said: “The last 18 months have been a particularly difficult time for Tiger, obviously working through a scandal, he’s had a new coach, a swing change.
“The last 18 months have been very difficult, and I’ve stuck by him through thick and thin. I’ve been incredibly loyal, and then to have this happen, I mean, basically, you could say I’ve wasted two years of my life, the last two years.
“I certainly, along with a lot of people, lost respect for Tiger, and you know I pointed out to him when I came back at Augusta in 2010 after what had happened that he had to earn back my respect. Slowly, he was doing that, but obviously, that isn’t the case right now.
“I wouldn’t ditch somebody when the chips are down. I stuck by Tiger. He put myself and my family in a difficult position there for quite a period of time, so I stuck by him, was loyal to him, so I’m very disappointed that this has come to an end.
“I mean, I’m not disappointed that the fact that I got fired. That’s part of the job when you work in this business. There’s no hidden agenda where that comes. But you know the timing of it is extraordinary to me.”
Williams ultimately benefited, going on to caddie for Scott’s Masters victory in 2013. Woods, on the other hand, would not secure another major title for eight years, finally winning the Masters again in 2019.
Tiger Woods gave a different reason for sacking Steve Williams
Back in 2011, Woods shared a different story regarding his controversial decision.
When first asked about it after the story broke – along with all of Steve’s comments – Tiger tried to play down both decisions and how Williams reacted publicly.
Tiger said: “I felt it was time for a change. He is a hell of a guy and has helped my career but I think I’ve helped his as well.”
Regarding Williams’ quotes, he noted that he did not sense any of the reported anger during their conversation.
“We had a nice conversation. It was a tough conversation, but we said what we needed to face-to-face and man-to-man,” Woods revealed.
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