Steve Williams on Tiger Woods' Crazy Life, How He Got Fired & Did He Ruin His Legacy?
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- čas přidán 31. 05. 2024
- Steve Williams- the Greatest golf caddy of all time!
This was such an honor. Steve is by design a pretty reclusive guy. This is the first long form podcast about his life that he has ever done so it’s a true honor he agreed to do it.
As you would expect, there is a lot of Tiger Wood chat ahead- they were, after all, best friends and had an incredible working relationship for 12 very successful years. Tiger has won a total of 15 majors…and Steve was his caddy for 13 of them.
We talk about Tigers mindset, the dynamics of their relationship, how Steve coped with the backlash from Tigers well publicized indiscretions, the perks, and bonuses from being the caddy of the world’s best golfer and so much more.
But this is not Tigers story- this is the Steve Williams story and I’m so excited to give you a peak into the mind of this reluctant hero who for a period in the early 2000s was New Zealand’s highest paid sportsperson….and then gave a lot of it away to Starship hospital.
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The only thing Tiger & Stevie could never get right was whenever TW would hit a great shot Stevie gave a high-five but TW was looking for a fist bump the next time Stevie would give the fist bump and of course TW would be looking for the high-five. Lol
😂😂😂
Enjoyable chat. Missed a trick there Dom not asking Williams what the hell happened to Adam Scott in the 2012 British Open. When Scott was cruising to a win but imploded on the last 4 holes to hand victory to Ernie Els. A shocking choke. Where was the caddy in those vital moments?
I was a caddy for 10 years. Looped for several famous people such as Emmit Smith(great guy),Justin Verlander(great guy),jason kidd(great guy),Ahmad Rashad(ahole) just to name a few. I also was in group with Mark Wallberg(Amazing guy), Michael Jordan(ahole!!)and Michael J Fox who was the nicest guy.He is a true champion in life and im glad i got to meet him because back to the future was my time and he was it man!
Goat a-hole !! Huh 🤔. Glad Emmitt was good Dallas golfer 🏌🏼. Thanks mate.
No surprises here.
Ahmad Rashad, born Bobby Moore, receiver......St. Louis Cardinals.
Met Emmit in a golf course parking lot here in Arizona & he was as nice as can be. It was at a muni course too, which shows that he’s not strictly a country club guy.
@@carlfrye1566Minnesota vikings
Listening to Steve talk about the 2006 British Open. That tournament was the best ball striking display in the history of the game. Everyone says Tiger's best playing was the 2000 U.S. Open but I believe it was the 06 British.
You’re the man Steve!!!
A great and humble man. Nz needs to give you more recognition specially as a sports person
💯
He got paid well. Caddying isn't a sport.....hell, golf probably isn't a sport either!
So when is the next carrying a bag championships??? Probably be in the Olympics soon id imagine!
Best interview I've seen in 5yrs really. Great job Dom, for Stevie to be so candid was amazing. Cheers from Canada mate
Hands down the best one yet Dom! So so interesting. Love Steve’s outlook on life.
Just so heartening to hear Steve speak so positively about his time with Tiger. Understandably he was bitter at the time of the break up. A magnificent caddy without doubt. The GOAT is correct Dom!
Tiger Woods is one gross irresponsible human being. Wouldn't watch him if you paid me.
Do you think he was going to bite that hand that fed him... He's a millionaire because of tiger. He knows ever single thing Tiger did during most of his career. because the caddy is like the water boy for pro teams. Lines up the strange....
@@tonypalmer948 Got any evidence of that? I would have certainly assumed the same, but after listening to this interview, I've come away with the sense that this fellow really *is* different. Can certainly see why he would be highly desired as a caddy and why the likes of Tiger would go after him. Talented and dedicated fellow. If Tiger could keep it secret from everybody else for so long, it's conceivable that he could keep it even from Steve. Both are pretty unique individuals.
Oh, and I could understand a *lot* of the words they said. 🙂
I was thinking that I'd heard at the time that he was bitter, but didn't get that sense in the interview. But, that was about as weird a situation to find yourself in as one could imagine. Can't relate.
Damn it. Youe gonna make me reply....When I lived in Cleveland, my buddy worked at Firestone Country club, you may have heard of it. Every year, I would go to the tournament. After the rounds the players would come into the bar for food and drinks. Ended up playing pool with a few players/caddies over the years and Tiger/Stevie was one of them. We knew/saw extra coricular activity was going on then, but figured it stopped when he got married. Guess not.
Loved Stevies golf stories!!!! I could listen to him for hours. Thanks!!
What an interview - excellent job. And what a humble and amazing human being.
Outstanding Podcast, met Steve as a caddy at the NZ Open when he gave a masterclass, absolute salt of the earth, bloody good kiwi bloke !
Thanks Steve for such a great insight into your professional life in golf. I really appreciate your humble honesty.
An amazing interview Dom. Hats of to your legendary guest. Absolutely awesome and thankyou for giving us this opportunity to get a deeper insight to Tiger and Steves relationship
What a great guy Steve is, and being part of the team that actually changed golf, moved the needle as they say, for so many of us who were so inspired to take up the game in Tigers heyday is an amazing achievement in itself. I would love to see Steve back on the bag again with Tiger, nothing else in any golf partnership ever looked so right.
As a golfer, you know Steve and his achievements well. but here you also get a fantastic insight into a very special personality. he is so down to earth and I wonder if he could get my golf handicap down a few strokes for the next club championship. Thanks for sharing, great episode. Greetings from Denmark
Great Podcast Dom, i have so much respect for Steve williams, hard worker, focused, humble, honest.
Great Insights and an old Caddie from the home of Golf. Remember 2005 well and chatting with Hank that Saturday night on the range with Tiger and Stevie doing there thing. Good times, Fore
Thank you Steve for sharing those stories with us - loved it!
Steve, you’re the best!! The way you carry yourself inside and outside the ropes , is the best example of a true professional!!
Great interview Dom.... all the best and more success! Thank you Steve Williams for being frank, open..... what a ride!
Good to see Steve. When l joined Rossdale GC he was the trainee pro he left and started his caddy career.
Excellent and was greatly impressed by SW! It was nice to see that apart from being good at what he did for a living, he is great person himself. Extremely grounded person and which is very difficult considering his career as a hot shot caddie.
What a fantastic interview, Steve is such a humble and genuine bloke.
excellent interview - You are to be commended for the time and energy you have put into the game and players you have caddied for !!
What a great interview. Steve Williams is very classy. He has much to be proud of in his accomplishments. A humble speaker and humanitarian! He clearly lives by good principles and the obvious enthusiasm that comes from doing what he loves in life.
what an awesome insight to Steves career and life i could of listend for another hour thanks Dom
Great interview. Wonderful to hear about his once in a lifetime experiences. Quite an impressive person in his own right.
Wow! Steve is really an amazing human! He and his wife must be absolutely amazing people! Great hearts and such a great spirit about him.
So good Dom & Steve, Enjoyed that.
So insightful…this is a breath of fresh air given all that’s before the playing field of golf today.
Steve is the GOAT, hands down. He never put himself above the bag. Period. He was always aware of his role and his discipline as a co pilot is why those he caddied for prevailed. I’d like to think he played a huge role in Tigers success as I’m sure most of the golf world would quickly agree. Great interview. So many juicy nuggets of keen insight. Loved the interview. Awesome!
Yeah no one agrees with that.
I have been a fan of all sports all my life. This was by far the best most honest interview that I have ever heard. Steve is a very likable guy and his insight on this topic was amazing.
this is very good...nice, easy conversation. Well done.
Great interviewer and FairPlay to Steve for talking so well about Tiger and being so respectful
Fair play? The guy gave him millions of dollars, fame and insanely unique experiences for over a decade. Why would he not talk well about him?
SUPER INTERVIEW!..ALWAYS ADMIRED STEVE!
Great interview! Love how candid and real it is.
great interview; really admire Steve’s humanity and principles. wish him the best.🙏🏽
Goat of Caddies! Sad how it ended, but I love that he was able to get Adam that green jacket. Ironically, they were both Tiger fans. Good luck mate. Wishing you the best.
Steve sounds like a very genuine person. Really interesting interview (coming from someone who knows very little about golf).
Guys that was a wonderful interview . Steve you have a strength about you which I am sure supported the great players you carried a bag for . 👏
Steve Williams, one of the best Caddies ever, and a true role model....You kept Tiger in the hunt for Golfing excellence day after day, tournament after tournament, year after year with your unassuming steely temperament, deeper understanding of the game and Green courses Tiger played....You both were made for each other, and knew how to conquer / excel without having to speak a word ! Steve, you embellish the Game of Golf, with your simplicity and dedication to the sport... You are a true Ambassador of the sport, in my mind you too deserve one of those Green Jackets !!!
THAT was a real professional interview, you made it seem like two mates just chatting! But you were prepared, asked good questions, no softball questions. Also, Mr. Williams is a real gent in a world of big money, celebrity-driven sports.
A wonderfully humble interview.
Brilliant interview this, a real insight into the mindset of a champion and how integral Steve was to Tigers success
Wow, thanks, The Dom podcast great interview and very insightful. Steve Williams, you should be Sir Steve Williams.
Once again mate, I click on a podcast and get hooked - awesome Domwa!
Thanks Reon! Still trying to get the Boss on 😂
@@dominicharvey-fo5pb haha! Gary Freeeeeman!
Adam was lucky to have you. Putting was always his weakness...and lack of confidence. You were SO good for him
Super interview to finally hear all these stories. Just fantastic stuff. Would have loved to hear him speak about tiger's chip in on the 16th at the masters.
Great insight, great conversation. Cheers from Southern California.
What a beautiful country. Was there for the Pacific Conference Games track & field. We spent time in Auckland , Wellington. & Christchurch! Loved everything about New Zealand 🇳🇿
Love this guy! Great interview, thanks Mr Harvey!
Excellent interview...... Steve is a top bloke. Peter Thompson......wow!!!
Amazing that Steve can remember the exact moment that changes the relationship is made. Thank you Steve for your candidness and openness.
Such an amazing interview . An incredible insight into the life and mentality of TW from the greatest caddie ever.
Williams is a Kiwi? I had no idea. It's wonderful that he was stoked for an Aussie to win The Masters! Great show Dom!
Normally my attention span is rather short, but I must say I sat for this entire 1 hr 41 minutes and thoroughly enjoyed. THANK YOU BOTH DOM AND STEVE.
The best hands down. Always hated when Tiger left Stevie.
A TRULY humble man. 👍🙏
Awesome interview. Thank you very much.
Thank you Dom for this great interview. I wasn’t a Tiger fan and thus not a fan of Steve. But I am now. What a straight up good dude. Probably one of the best interviews of a golf person I have ever listened to. Bravo!
Hey thanks so much for taking the time to write this comment. Really appreciate it @Busman46
Just a great interview. What a class guy and Tiger was fortunate to have someone as such around him for a time.
What a great bag man, and a wonderful interview!!
All New Zealanders, and I’m one of them, who know anything about Steve Williams are proud of the guy, and understandably so. He did alright in life, which is a bit of an understatement, because his achievements are quite rightly described as outstanding. Steve is a thinker. He thinks about things. And not just about the guy he’s caddying for. I see him as a reflective person. Someone who wonders about things. In life we all want to achieve so we can feel worthy to receive the acceptance of those who we classify as the worthwhile ones. In other words we might not particularly care what someone from a lost tribe in the Amazon jungle thinks of us. I heard a preacher, one time, preach a sermon which lasted about 15 seconds. And he said the purpose of this life is to make sure we get our ticket into everlasting life. And the guy is right. Hey if Jesus Christ came back from the dead, and I say he did, then check out what the guy said.
Was fortunate enough a few years ago to spend a day travelling around with Steve and Tiger. Both very genuine and down to earth.
A few years ago? You'd have to elaborate since Steve hasn't been Tiger's caddy since 2011.
@@Larry-dq4ig not sure why the exact year is important to you. However, I was working in Queenstown at the time, probably around 2007. I flew the pair of them to the Nevis Bungay, where they both jumped. Tiger did two. We then went to Amisfield for lunch followed by a trip around the Wakatipu Basin. We were heading to the Dart River to do a jet boat trip but that got cancelled due to weather en route. Anything else I need to elaborate on? My comment was due to me being impressed by Steve in both the interview and the personal interaction I had with him. Nothing to do when it “exactly “ was . Not sure what the point of your comment was.
@@bengalberryunreal 👍🏻 from someone who lived down there and is still in Nz 👍🏻😎
Awesome interview. I can relate to Steve's comment about it not mattering who he caddied for. I caddied for 12 years and when I was on the golf course it just felt as though that was my little piece of the universe and where I meant to be. Still managed to get some decent players though. Australian Men's Tour - David (dirty) Diaz (good guy), Stehen Leaney (absolute a-hole), Steve Conran (too intense for his own good) + freelancing; Australian Ladies Tour - Mi Hyun Kim (before she went to the LPGA ), Nancy Scranton, Simi Mehra + freelancing; Ladies European Tour - Joanne Mills, Anne-Marie Knight + freelancing; European Seniors Tour - Ian Richardson + freelancing. Didn't have much success but some great memories and funny stories nevertheless.
1st time watcher....great poddy Dom
Do the right thing tiger. Make the call
great interview
Stevie is a sprint car fan! I like him even more now.
What great interview, thank you!
A real New Zealander ….great character , good values and very likeable.
Excellent interview. Stevie is real guy.
When Kiwis shine we all shine a little.
My dad took us to Papakura High School way back in the day to hear Peter Snell give a talk about his life...all the parents were gushing, us kids had no idea lol.
I love that line...a caddy is an "on course psychologist"
I also appreciate Steve's humbleness and relaxed demeanor. From what I could tell, he has no regrets and has a treasure trove of great memories and "defining moments."
That is an insane story at 42:35 about having one ball left on the 18th tee in second round at 2000 US Open after Tiger hooked his first drive in the ocean. "My ass was puckering."
I was born in 1989, so my childhood was firmly in the Tiger era. Honestly, I thought Steve was a jerk at the time, always yelling at cameras, etc 😂. Looking back though, I see what a great job he did of protecting Tiger, who I now realize was a kid at the time.
Coincidentally, Adam Scott was my favorite player until he switched to that hideous long putter.
Great to hear from Steve. Good show.
Great interview
GREAT interview
I love Steve Williams wat a caddy and wat a humble block ❤️🙏🇦🇺
U are a ledgend my friend 🙏
Bloke
@@thomasrohland2897also a pretty humble Block I believe 😂
Near the "Navy (Destroyer) Golf Course in Cypress, Calfornia. Next to Los Alamitos, California. 30-40 minutes southeast of Los Angeles where Tiger grew up.👍🏼
Great podcast.... Really enjoyed this.... Andrew Webster and now Steve... . Brilliant
Thanks so much for tuning in
Wow this was really interesting. Steve seems like a great dude.
Holy Shit a Freddie Rahmer fan great sprint car drive, seen him race many times at the Grove!
What a great interview
Shared wide and far, great chat lads!
Thanks so much mate 😊
No way could tiger of won 14 majors without this man.
15 actually. Chances are there wont be more
He’s definitely the GOAT when it comes to that. He’s the best
These podcasts are the only good things about Monday mornings.
Excellent interview!!
Williams is definitely the GOAT, though I do not believe that "override" is the correct word as I don't care if it's a Club Caddie looping for a Member, Williams working with Tiger or even Steve advising someone at the polar opposite end of the personality spectrum from Tiger, Adam Scott, a Caddie, even Williams, NEVER "overrides" their Player!! EVER!!
As a caddie works FOR the Player, can be fired/dismissed at ANY time, including mid-round, though this rarely occurs outside of the Club environment, they are never, nor will they ever be in a position to "override" a Player's decision, regarding distance, windage, green reading, club choice or any other variable within a Player's game.
The most successful Caddies, regardless of level and whether Williams realizes this or not, are able to convey and communicate a knowledge of the course, round and even the Player themself, regarding the mental aspect and also bein part Shrink, in such a manner that the Plauer accepts their advice with 100% confidence, which is uber critical, especially under the immense pressure of a Major Tourney, as 98% and even 99%, or sliver of doubt, will cost them dearly in that situation.
Williams was one of the absolute best at communicating his advice with 💯% confidence, thus his Player, regardless of whether it was Ray Floyd, Norman or Tiger, had 💯% confidence in both Steve, his advice and their ability to successfully execute that next shot based on it!!
That said, neither Steve Williams nor any other Caddie EVER overrode a Player's on-course decision.
FWIW, and while I don't particularly care for Williams personally, though I absolutely believe that had he been on Norman's bag that Sunday afternoon at Augusta, Norman would have a green jacket. Absofvckinlutely!! Williams knew Norman better than Norman knew himself and he would've got him into the left lane, versus him tryin to Play in the right lane. One does not win a Major Playing in the right lane, especially at Augusta!!
Just my .05 worth🪙
Apologies for the novella🤪
Fairways & Greens 4ever⛳️
RP
Ha ha love that lady!!
Enjoying your show too Mr lawman !
Great and very interesting interview.
This video came up on my phone and i was worried he would blast on Tiger. Glad my fears were unfounded. I’m not on Tiger’s staff or anything…. but personal time w someone is between the people sharing that experience. ✌️❤️
I was a Marshall in Atlanta for 5 years. To begin with during practice rounds It was my goal to get autographs from every player. I only met 2 players that were assholes, those were Greg Norman and Colin Montgomery. The rest were as personable as a friend would be, I was very impressed with all the players abilities and personality’s.
great interview and pretty sure steve has something to do with Tiger’s success in some way. 👍
Awesome watch ❤️❤️❤️
I’ve put a good few podcasts on in the last few years, and listened to long segments of them. I never finish them.
Finished this and wanted more!
Steve just has that knack of being easy going and being able to tell a story!
Really enjoyed!
Great interview!
Steve has had a great life, seems like a solid dude.
It's crazy to think for me that as good as Woods was, as absolute of a shoe in to win as he was during his run..... he still... still is several major wins behind Jack. Woods was on such another level during that run that it is just incredible to me that someone else had an even better run at one point.
Fascinating!!!
Hung on every word! This was insane!!
I always thought this dude was super obnoxious when he worked for Eldrick, but he seems like a great dude. I'm glad I watched the interview and got a new perspective.
Good Interview.