Stevie and Adam: The great win of both their careers?
Many of you watched David Feherty interview Steve Williams, the winning caddie, on the 18th green at Firestone after Adam Scott clinched the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.
I had to pick up my jaw off the green when I heard Stevie say, “Honestly, that’s the best week of my life. I’ve caddied for 33 years and 145 wins and that’s the best win I’ve ever had.” He also called himself a “very confident frontrunner.”
Better than the 13 major titles, 63 PGA Tour wins you had with Tiger Woods? Um, wow. Clearly, he was sticking the dagger into his former boss, who recently fired him after twelve-plus years of working together (this is a little “Inside Golf-y,” but player-caddie relationships can be analogous to a marriage, so this is like an ugly, very public divorce).
Throughout the week, the fans cheered for Stevie — more than they did for Adam, you know the guy who was actually swinging the golf club. And when the pair walked up 18 green on Sunday, the crowd chanted, “Stevie, Stevie!” Adam’s response when asked? “I had no idea how popular a New Zealander can be,” he cracked.
Speaking to a huddle of reporters in the scoring area, Williams had heaps to say — he unloaded. Veteran reporters half-joked that it was more than Stevie ever said in the last ten years.
I’m still digesting all of this, but when I walked away, my impression was that Stevie was engaging, sincere — gasp — likeable! Maybe he shouldn’t have talked so much (never hurts to take the high road!), but hey, the guy felt wronged and we don’t know what actually happened between them. My gut tells me that there’s a chapter of the story that’s missing.
By reputation, Stevie is a straight-up guy. He also seemed like a completely different person than the menace he was all these years when he was on Tiger’s bag. Interesting, eh?
Team Scott and Williams: The first win of many more to come...? I think so.
Without further ado, here’s the full transcript from the ten minutes we spent with Stevie behind the scenes — enjoy!
Q. What does it mean to you?
STEVE WILLIAMS: I think it’s always when you go to caddie for another player, it’s no different to when you start with a new player. The very most important thing is when you get the first opportunity to have a win is to try and show them that you know what you’re doing. It’s easier said than done. I think it just validates what I told Adam and what we were trying to achieve. So getting the first win is very important. I think that takes a lot of pressure off going forward.
Q. The comfort level that you have with him now, do you feel like it’s a relationship that’s going to last for a long time?
STEVE WILLIAMS: Why do you ask that? (Laughter.) I’m going to be straight up and honest. I’m on the downside of my caddying career. I live in New Zealand and I’ve been caddying for 33 years. I’d like to help Adam get across the line and try and win a major championship. That’s my goal with Adam, obviously, and when that point comes, I’ll decide from there. But I’m certainly on my downside, there’s no two days about that.
Q. What intangibles do you bring to the job?
STEVE WILLIAMS: Obviously it’s well documented I’ve won 145 golf tournaments. Every single guy that I’ve caddied, even guys that I’ve caddied for just here and there over the years has won tournaments. There’s no one I’ve caddied for that hasn’t won tournaments. So I guess when I caddie for someone, it’s kind of a reassurance thing that Steve knows what it takes to get it done. Obviously I’m very confident, not only on the golf course, when I race. I’ve always backed myself. I’m a very confident sort of person.
Q. What is it like with Adam going forward, the things that you need to bring to the relationship?
STEVE WILLIAMS: I think it’s really exciting. I was straight up with Adam when I had the opportunity to go and work for him. I stressed to him that if you want me to come and caddie for you fulltime, you’ve got to sit down and do some hard work and do some hard yards because that’s what I expect, and I see some weaknesses in his game that need improving on, between him and his coach and myself, I’ve been very adamant. Even though it’s only been three weeks, I’ve been pointing out the weaknesses and what he needs to work on. Players and caddies and coaches, I’m not different from anyone else.
Q. Has it been difficult?
STEVE WILLIAMS: Fans have been unbelievable. It’s the greatest week of my life caddying and I sincerely mean that.
Q. (Inaudible.)
STEVE WILLIAMS: You’ll have to ask Tiger that. I was absolutely shocked that I got the boot to be honest with you. I’ve caddied for the guy for 11 years, I’ve been incredibly loyal to the guy and I got short shifted. Very disappointed.
Q. How did it happen? How did you find out?
STEVE WILLIAMS: He just called me up when I asked him to go and caddie for Adam, and he didn’t agree with it, and thought it was time to take a break.
Q. Given what has happened with Tiger, how satisfying personally for you is this just to get back on the horse a little bit?
STEVE WILLIAMS: I mean, it’s the most satisfying win I’ve ever had, there’s no two ways about it. I’m not denying that.
Q. Do you see the game in Adam to win a major?
STEVE WILLIAMS: I wouldn’t be caddying for him if I didn’t think so. These tournaments here are very high quality tournaments. This is a very difficult golf course, a very good golf course and it’s not that different from a major championship. If you can win on a course like this, there’s nothing to say you can’t win a major. The challenge is what makes this job great. You’re a caddie, it’s what makes the job great. It’s the challenge of trying to win those majors.
Q. What was it like walking down the 16th, 17th, and 18th when you knew it was going to happen?
STEVE WILLIAMS: The last two years have been very difficult for myself and my family, and I sort of believe in destiny sometimes. I had no doubt in my mind this morning on the range, Adam had it so good on the range, I knew it was our day. He hit it so good on the range.
Q. The conversation that you had, the phone call, was there a consideration on your part like did he say, if you do this, it’s over?
STEVE WILLIAMS: I was told on the phone that we need to take a break, and in caddie lingo, that means you’re fired, simple as that.
Q. Simply because of Scott?
STEVE WILLIAMS: When you’re told as a caddie we need to take a break, you’re fired.
Q. Doesn’t he owe you more than just that?
STEVE WILLIAMS: Hey, I mean, I see mechanics get fired on a race team, see mechanics get fired all the time. I got fired. Simple as that.
Q. The fist pump after the final putt went in, was there a little extra emotion in that?
STEVE WILLIAMS: Absolutely. (Laughter.)
Q. How much?
STEVE WILLIAMS: I mean, like I said, there’s a lot of expectations on Adam, not just myself. I mean, it’s hard to explain, but he’s under pressure a little bit, too, and to finish off on the last hole, it was kind of I said, you’ve just got to take all the trouble out of play, hit a 5wood down there to that 196 sprinkler and it was right on that sprinkler, hit a 6iron in there, and that’s exactly what happened. It was kind of a scripted last hole.
Q. Have you and Adam ever talked about this nonsense for you and not him, and is he okay with all the attention you’ve received?
STEVE WILLIAMS: Hey, I can’t help that. I mean, I love caddying. I do the job. I guess caddying for Tiger, I’ve probably been a bit unfair to the media sometimes. I realize I owe you guys something, so it’s no problem.
Q. The confidence that he felt from you, is it from just maybe what you said to him and could you sense that from him in the tournaments you’ve caddied for him?
STEVE WILLIAMS: Absolutely, he’s played well. He’s played some good golf. It’s not easy out here on the PGA TOUR. He had a third there at AT&T, he played well at the British and won here. That’s a good year for some people. I don’t think people realize just how difficult the PGA TOUR is, and to get a win, any player to get a win out here, it’s a great effort.
Q. Are you flattered that people think you can put Adam over the top?
STEVE WILLIAMS: Well, I mean, just because you’re a good caddie doesn’t mean to say that you’re the one that can put a player over the top. A good caddie doesn’t necessarily help you’ve got to gel. That’s the first thing. You go and work for somebody, there’s no guarantees it’s going to work straightaway, but sometimes you gel. I think the main thing for us is I’m a fanatical rugby supporter which is well documented, and Adam was in the all blacks today because we kicked the Aussies’ ass last night.
So you’ve got to gel first and do it, but you know, I was fairly confident. Adam is obviously a friend of mine off the course, so I was fairly confident that we’d get along pretty good. It’s obviously like a dream come true.
Q. What did you think of those fans saying your name today?
STEVE WILLIAMS: Honestly I said it was the greatest week of week of my life. The people here have been absolutely astounding. This is a tournament that I’ve been to I don’t know how many times, I caddied here from Greg, caddied here for Raymond, caddied here for Tiger, so I’ve been here a lot, and this is sort of a local town tournament so I would be willing to say 80, 90 percent of the people that attend this tournament come every year. So they know all the players, they know all the caddies, they know all the volunteers. It was just sensational.
Q. What about the deep friendship you had with Tiger. Did you discuss that on the phone call or take a break and that’s it?
STEVE WILLIAMS: That’s it, you’ve got it.
Q. Tiger said he did it in person at the AT&T National after the final round. Is that correct?
STEVE WILLIAMS: That is incorrect. I was told on the phone that we needed to take a break. At the AT&T the details of why I was fired were discussed, and that’s for my own personal stuff.
Q. When actually was the phone call then, was it when you initially wanted to caddie for Adam?
STEVE WILLIAMS: Correct. Correct.
Q. How would you compare Adam’s swing with Tiger’s swing in 2000?
STEVE WILLIAMS: I don’t really compare golf swings. I’m not a golf coach. Adam hit the ball tremendous this week, and he’s had some tremendous rounds in the four tournaments I’ve caddied for him, so I don’t compare.
Q. Kind of odd to become so popular and be carried around by the fans, you had to get fired? Now you’re a sympathetic figure.
STEVE WILLIAMS: Hey, people are probably sympathetic to it. That’s a good point. People are sympathetic to it.
**********
Umm…hell hath no fury like a caddie scorned?
*Update, 1:45am: Okay, I’m finally getting over the shock. I think Stevie might be a bit delusional. Then again, he’s known as a rather egotistical guy, hasn’t he?
If you had heard the fan support he was getting, you would have thought he was the guy swinging the club. Besides the “Stevie, Stevie!” chants on 18, there was a comment on 16 during the third round that struck me. Adam stuck it to a foot on Saturday. Fans didn’t react by yelling, “Good shot, Adam!” The loudest cheer I heard was, “Nice number, Stevie!” And I remember thinking, they’re acting like Stevie is hitting the shots!
Anyway, the already ugly, public divorce just got uglier and more public. Both parties in the relationship (Tiger and Stevie) made mistakes.
(AP Photo/Matt Duncan)
Steve is class less and ungrateful ass hole.
And Woods is…?
I think people are maybe making too much of this. Who are we to judge his response. Maybe this was his most satisfying win as a caddy. Maybe this meant more to him because it showed that he was indeed instrumental in Tigers victories…maybe a caddy does make a difference for a player. I just feel this is everybody trying to make something out of nothing. He was given so much support this week and the fans made him feel good(probably never happened on El Tigre’s bag).
I thought it was great. I am glad he said what he felt. He looked happier this week than he has in 13 years on Tigers bag. He looked like he was having fun. Maybe this will get Adam really going and he can truly break out. Maybe…just maybe this was his best victory as a caddy… I don’t know because I am not him.
Having had some personal interaction with him in the past I have always found him to be a genuine and good person.
@ Ms. Wei – you got some CBS face time during the Williams media scrum.
Willams’ comments re-affirm that he is as arrogant and rude as his former boss. But, clearly, he is not “wasting” his time anymore.
Wow. Ego much Stevie? This dude is unreal. He is the same guy that thrashed Phil’s reputation, knocked cameras out of people hands (breaking them), and yelled at patrons. No class.
tiger short changed stevie by firing him when he stayed loyal to tiger during the scandal. i can see why he’s pissed, i would be too. imagine the husband and wife talks in that house!
good for stevie. seems to find a nice match with adam.
haney indicated a dysfunctional relationship with tiger, probably the same with stevie. only so much you can take.
Steve’s a pro and teaches us all a lesson – working for a jerk isn’t worth any amount of money.
Jack’s record is safe.
Enjoy your life, Eldrick.
I agree with Docsbro. While I do think he was digging at Tiger a little, my immediate interpretation was how happy he was for Adam. It is clear that they’re very friendly, and perhaps he and Tiger had just a business-y relationship out there. And now he’s with an Australian who he’s friends with and he’s helping push his game farther–so he got excited. That’s a big part of his satisfaction, I bet, and… what’s the big deal?
And isn’t this a fairly normal attitude among athletes–your most recent success is the most satisfying, right? Especially in golf, athletes go week to week. Stricker cries every time he wins, saying it’s better than the last one. Forget the past and stay in the present. That’s what competitors have to do. Steve is a competitor, and I think this is a view of competition that is getting lost among all the non-competitors (media and fans).
Did someone air brush the caddy bib back on in the picture?
Stevie has every right to say what he wants and feels but I’d be very very careful. Tiger has always had a knack for getting back at people. Steven Ames anyone!
What happened to “show up, keep up, shut up?”
I fall into the “this was a classless move” camp.
Without TW, “Stevie” is just another solid caddy whose name only those hardcore-types know. TW made him tons of money, both for Stevie’s family and for their causes. How about showing a little graciousness for that? Yes, I know Stevie caddied for the likes of IBF, Floyd, Norman, etc., but so what.
Stevie’s behavior is boorish and self serving.
Meanwhile back at the Hall of Justice….
Alfred claims his first victory since teaming up with Aquaman was better that the hundreds of victories he had serving as Batman’s butler.
I agree w Max & Doc, this is getting blown out of proportion. He may come across as a little cocky but being on the bag for 145 wins is nothing to scoff at. Floyd, Norman, & Woods probably could have got a lot of those wins with an ape carrying the bag but I’ll give him credit for being a heckuva caddy. Anybody know the record for most players won with by a caddy, he’s got to be getting close to it. He may come across as a thug but I’ve always thought that was probably part of his job description w Woods
Surprised no one’s used “Williams the Conqueror” as a headline yet.
I’m OK with most of what Williams said and I understand his viewpoint, I think.
What I found a bit startling was his remarks about his expectations of his player, and how he demands he works on certain things, etc..
I mean, sure, at the very top level the caddie is clearly more than just a bag carrier but cripes…Stevie seems to be elevating himself to “PGA Guru” or something, clearly well above his station methinks.
Hey, good luck to him if he can make it work but can you imagine him interviewing to loop for Vijay? That I would pay to see.
I don’t blame him but it’s classy to take the high road. The thing is steve initiated the talk of wanting to go work for Adam, temporarily or not. What did he expect Tiger to react? This is like a sick cycle carousel. Tiger betrays elin, steve betrays Tiger, Tiger fires steve, steve says he feels betrayed. If he is so loyal, he wouldn’t even consider caddying for Adam, even as a favor. The only thing left to do is to bet on who wins a major first, Adam or Tiger. Adam is looking good, but Tiger might get so pissed that he just take it to another level.
“I’ve won 145 tournaments”??? Don’t recall seeing him making any puts on 18…
Stevie’s a proud man. A caddy who worked as hard or harder than anyone and feels like he was shown disrespect for the work he had done for Tiger, including waiting out all of his hiatuses. He has every right to be upset. I’m glad he won quickly with Adam
when will the media interview the putter and the driver?
Tiger did Steveie a favor … Woods has lost whatever control he had with his driver … his short game is now mediocre … and he’s changing putters like Arnold Palmer … let’s just say all those dudes cheering for Williams on 18 were NOT Tiger fans …
I get that Steve is hurt, it stinks to be fired, but there’s a professional way and an unprofessional way to handle things. He is not even remotely the first caddy to get fired for no or bad reasons (or good ones). Also while Steve is a great caddy this was only like his 4th or 5th PGA tour win, outside of Tiger, and this wasn’t the first time he’s been fired.
Generally speaking, if one guy is airing out the dirty laundry, and the other guy is taking the high road (and Tiger gave Steve a lot praise in his Tues press conf), I tend to think the one taking the high road is classier. I’m sure being on Adam’s bag is a lot more relaxing, but I somehow doubt that Tiger appreciated some of the media firestorms that Steve caused him over the years, he just put up with it.
Also, if there’s one guy doing all the talking, and an untold chapter, it’s generally what the guy doing all the talking doesn’t want to talk about.
Just when you thought the Tiger Show could not be any more like a circus. This is officially crossed over into pro-wrestling territory.
BTW I find it interesting that Steve is now claiming Tiger fired him over the phone before AT&T, when on his website he said he was fired at AT&T and in his interview with NZ TV he said that Tiger fired him face to face, and he appreciated that.
Tiger pretty much gave Stevie FINANCIAL security…and you repay him this way. Give me a break people,the caddy is not hitting the shots, he is not under the gun needing to make a putt. 145 wins…look he he caddied for, Norman, Floyd, Woods, not exactly wimpy players.
Maybe I am wrong about this, but the level of Stevie’s indignation toward Tiger seems like it might be performance theater aimed at his wife, also known as Elin’s best friend. Steph says the Golfer/Bagman relationship is like a marriage, yet in this 11 year union, we are supposed to believe that Stevie was completely ignorant that his “golf Spouse” was hopping in bed with every Waffle House waitress and Neighbor’s Daughter he could find. I doubt his wife believes him either, leading to his overcompensating on the victim syndrome.
@Sahalee Joe — I’ve had convos with those who know Stevie about this…recently, I’ve come to believe that Stevie really didn’t know about Tiger’s dalliances. In fact, Stevie might have been the LAST person that Tiger wanted to know. Players and their caddies don’t do EVERYTHING together — there are different types of relationships. There are two pairs off the top of my head that seem inseparable (stay together, eat together). It varies depending on the individual, but everyone needs their space. A few months ago, I was at dinner with a group of people, one of whom was a caddie for a top player. He pointed out that while he’s good friends with his player (was in his wedding, etc), he had no idea what the player was doing at that very moment. They part ways when they leave the course and they stay at different hotels. Married couples need their own space, too.
Golf is a game bigger than any of us, and will be around long after we are gone. It was great to see a superb golfer win and enjoy his game with the support of his team. The level of skill required to make a living at golf is unbelieveable and the mental application very special. May they all enjoy their time in the spotlight before the memories fade
@KC, I’m excited for that putter & driver interview!!!! Steph, I love your make up on TV!!!! thanks for the transcript!
We’d be remiss not to offer congratulations to Darren Willard for winning the Reno-Tahoe Open.
After all this immediate emotion fades away, the real winner will be experienced caddies.
If you had a young player just finding his/her way onto the golf stage, you would look at this and realize an experienced caddy can be a huge advantage. No they cannot hit shots, but they can set expectations, proceed feedback to coaches, and generally steer a kid toward a more disciplined approach. Some may not need it, but I would guess many more would benefit.
Remember we see very little of a golf week on television. What goes unseen Is the preparation, and all those little things on Tuesday Wednesday Thursday and Friday that make a huge difference over a season.
The outcome of all this might very well be a “caddy guru” phenomenon similar to what we see with the likes of teachers Hank Butch Sean etc.
The fans at the course chanting Steve Williams name as he and Adam Scott made the walk up the 18th fairway was very cool.
When everyone else left Tiger, Williams stayed. His reward was to get fired. Anybody that thinks Tiger is the class act in this situation needs their head examined.
Suzann Pettersen went 63-64 on the weekend to win the Irish Open: that is golf news. Anything a disgruntled caddy says is not!
Here are the facts as I know them:
1. Steve Williams was a salaried employee for Tiger Woods. (A rich salaried employee)
2. He asked Tiger if he could caddie for Adam Scott at the US Open. Tiger said “No.”
3. Steve said he had already committed and was not going to back out. (He made a HUGE mistake by committing before having Tiger’s approval. Something he should have already know that Tiger would not like.)
4. Tiger let him go. Who cares if it was then and there on the phone or in the board room.
Now I ask, how in the heck can anybody find fault with Tiger’s actions during any of this??????????? Please tell me, I would like to know.
In addition, if I had an employee working for me – an employee who had become weathly while working for me – and he told me “I have lost a lot of respect for you and it is going to take you a long time to get it back”. I would have fired him on the spot. If I was Tiger, I would have fired Steve Williams at The Masters’ in 2010.
“Also, if there’s one guy doing all the talking, and an untold chapter, it’s generally what the guy doing all the talking doesn’t want to talk about.” <<Well said, Shoshana.
Victor nailed it right there. Williams is in the wrong here – big time.
@Victor, Maybe he should have fired him if he felt Stevie was out of line, but I don’t think there was one single person that could have honestly said they did not lose some level of respect for Tiger. I don’t care what anybody says you just don’t treat people like that especially loyal people. Look, did Stevie HAVE to say anything, of course not. But, he has taken a LOT of crap from a LOT of people who don’t know anything about him. He was Tiger’s “strong man” for many years and YES he was paid well, but that doesn’t mean he is not human and have emotion. If Adam Scott is overly bothered by the way things went down then he’ll fire Stevie too.
Using the logic from this blog anyone who is paid well…should ALWAYS just shut up and do your job. That is BS and we know it. How many athletes complain about their salaries (which are already ridiculous)? Also, if by some chance SW was on salary(which I have never seen conclusive proof) it would have been because Tiger wanted to make sure he didn’t make too much money. Get over it people, Tiger treats people like crap and the only people left are his “enablers”.
Stevie had every right to say whatever he wants, look when you are the best at your given trade then you will always get leeway. If Adam had a problem then it will get resolved.
Well said docsbro… Let’s face the reality that there are Tiger worshippers all over the place and many on this site. No matter what Tiger does or says they’ll be here to make sure that we all understand what he really meant to say or do. We should also face the reality that Tiger’s a jerk. Anyone who hasn’t accepted that is living under a rock. Great golfer yes… huge jerk yes again. I will say that too much is being made of Steve Williams and his opinion and/or comments. He’s a caddie and a damn good one but his issues with Tiger are between them. By the way, Stevie’s a jerk too; that’s well documented. I hope that he can look back on how he and Tiger handled themselves on the golf course over the past few years and strive to be more humane. With that said, it looks like the fan base likes him more than they like Tiger.
At the end of the day Tiger’s still a jerk and can’t quite get it together without the help of the good DR. Galea. Man those PED (oops I meant blood-spinning)sessions sure were the bomb!! Damn those boarder agents!!
Jack’s record is safe for now! There is justice after all.
i doubt he ever refused any of the prize money he made if fees from tiger…talk about a fiar weather friend….geezee what a jerk…he better hope he can stay on scott’s bag…because i dont think any other player would tolerate his backlash comments…wonder what he will have to say about scott if and when they part ways….i think he would have been better off w/ the standard “no comment”….class less jerk!! talk about biting the hand that feeds…or in this case…fed you…wow!
I agree w/ victor, there’s quite a bit of inconsistency in steve’s version. Tiger’s abrasive and has poor honesty record, but steve’s a motor mouth w/ lapses in his memories. He initiated the Adam talk and act surprised when Tiger doesn’t like it. Then said he was fired over the phone after saying they talked in person. I get steve’s hurt because he has to take the blame for Tiger’s behavior, but for him to say he was fired when he implicitly also wanted out by caddying for Adam is load of crap too.
Um, he’s the caddy. The caddy. He didn’t swing the golf club once. Tiger made mistakes in the relationship, no doubt, but this caddy going off would be like Prez. Obama’s cook complaining about getting fired. Geez.
Jack can rest easy – that phenom is just old Eldrick once again.
What? Jack is dead?
If Steve is so happy why doesn’t he give back the 11 million he made for being tiger’s caddy? What a joke, being candid is one thing but he didn’t hit the ball he didn’t make one put in those 145 victories? He didn’t suffer any lose of family or wife. The guy got fired and he made a lot of money in the process. What a joke, watch when Adam has 2 or 3 mc in a row lets see how happy he is then.
I completely disagree with everyone’s comments that disregard Stevie’s prowess. Being a caddy requires one to be a human GPS, read greens like Topographic scanner, Carry a 50 lb bag like the World’s Strongest Man Competition, and know the weather like Al Roker. No PGA player in the world could possibly be his own Player and Caddy at the same time and play the game at a high level. Thus the need for a caddy. In fact, there was a time when caddy’s were just bag holders, but having a second expert opinion is undeniably a contributing factor to a PGA Pro’s win. Hitting golf shots are one thing, but having a the right advisory board is another. Stevie was shafted by his old employer, and his win only showed vindication that his knowledge of the game and the courses can make any player better.
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