Steve Williams shared Tiger Woods’s 13 of the 15 major wins. If you really think about it, the veteran caddie also served as a literal shoulder to cry on for Tiger Woods during the 2006 U.S. Open, shortly after Earl Woods had passed away. Additionally, Tiger Woods was present as the co-best man during Steve Williams’s wedding! Undoubtedly, the two have spent a million ups and downs of their lives together. Their relationship went solid for more than a decade, but it all started with a joke!

They first started working together in 1999. Playing one of their first tournaments at the 1999 API, Tiger Woods hit one of the worst shots Williams had ever seen. So, what does Williams do? He jokes about it and calls Woods an “overrated” player! Perhaps not a good start to their journey, but it was solid, nonetheless. That’s why this particular moment and more became the subject of discussion when Steve Williams and Erin Priest sat down for an interview on the No Laying Up Podcast.

They discussed their upcoming book, Together We Roared, and Soly asked, “When did you realize that you can give Tiger sh*t?” Williams replied with the same story we talked about earlier. He admitted, “So, we got on like a house on fire straight away.” Williams added that some golfers can be very “stoic and boring,” but bantering with Tiger Woods came easily. So, what does he do? He gives us a glimpse into another moment.

Steve Williams had come to Woods’s house to watch him play video games. “And, like, what he was saying to the screen. I was, like, the screen’s not gonna answer back, but the characters—I knew straight away that I was going to have some banter with this guy. He was yelling at some of these characters while playing the video game.” For a recap, that was their first meeting. Williams was sweating, thinking of it as his first interview. However, Woods was so focused on the game that Williams had to turn the TV off! Bizarre indeed!

And that, folks, is how Steve Williams knew he could chill around the GOAT. With the book release closer than ever, we will likely hear about more of their unseen moments soon—like this other bizarre Tiger Woods move that only Steve Williams knew about.

Steve Williams was not only a caddie but also a gatekeeper

In their 13-year relationship, Steve Williams and Tiger Woods have experienced a lot together. However, we already have some spicy anecdotes from their time together, including one about Tiger Woods’s habit of making Steve Williams his “gatekeeper.” Tiger Woods is a genius player, a man solely focused on his shots when he is on the course. So, it wasn’t surprising when Steve Williams revealed the GOAT often used his help to maintain attention during the games.

“Tiger had a signal. He would take a slight peek out of his peripherals to see who it was, and he would flick his head to indicate he wanted me to ask them to leave, but in a friendly manner.” Williams would then approach the fans and inform them that Woods was busy working on his swing. Given that Tiger Woods was at his peak during his time with Steve Williams, it’s no surprise that fans often flocked around the GOAT.

However, Williams’s job wasn’t just physical. He also needed to make sure that Woods didn’t hear the click of a camera—the GOAT’s pet peeve. If they heard a click, Williams would have to quickly locate the fan before Woods got angry. A tough role! It happened once during the 2002 Skins Game when Woods was playing against Phil Mickelson.

A fan kept snapping pictures of the players’ backswings, even after Williams had requested that he stop. The result? Woods flinched and missed the $200,000 final hole. Angry, Williams demanded the fan give him his camera. When the fan complied, Williams took it and threw it into the water! Whew, what a tough job. Reflecting on these experiences, Williams said, “It was stressful, but it was also the job I signed up for, no question.”

The result of this partnership? Solid major wins and some of the best years of Tiger Woods’s career! But which year are you looking forward to? Let us know!