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• Ex caddie hints at reconciliation.
• “He’s definitely someone I’d consider.”
• Any reunion would only be part-time.
• Williams recently split with Adam Scott

STEVE WILLIAMS

Despite their lengthy professional relationship ending on a sour note, Steve Williams insists he would be open to the possibility of working for former world No.1 Tiger Woods again in the future – but only on a part-time basis.

New Zealander Williams recently gave up the bag of 2013 Masters champion Adam Scott as he sets about reducing his caddying in order to spend more time with his family.

However, that doesn’t mean he has completely given up on tour, nor on the prospect of rekindling his relationship with Woods again at some point in the future.

Speaking to Australia-based Fairfax Media, Williams, 50, said he is “90% certain it’s going to be a permanent break from caddying” but that he would be open to doing some part-time work next season.

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Asked if Woods would be someone he’d work with, he added: “He’s definitely someone I’d consider.

“He’s a tremendous talent but it’s hard to say right now because it’s only two weeks since I’ve hung up the clubs.”

Woods and Williams spent almost 13 years working together before splitting acrimoniously in 2011.

Williams was on the bag of Ray Floyd when he was approached by Woods’ then coach Butch Harmon at the 1999 Doral-Ryder Open, asking if he would be interested in caddying for Tiger, who had just fired Mike ‘Fluff’ Cowan’.

Williams drove to Orlando after that tournament to interview with Woods, who hired him on the spot.

The pair enjoyed tremendous success, winning 13 of Tiger’s 14 major championships together. However, Williams gained a reputation for boorish behaviour and was known to aggressively defend Woods on the course.

Steve Williams helped Adam Scott win his first major and climb to world No.1.

On one occasion, he even grabbed an expensive camera from a fan who had taken a picture of Woods during his backswing and threw it in a pond.

During one of Woods’ injury lay-offs, Williams agreed to caddie for Adam Scott at the 2011 US Open and 2011 Open Championship. Upon the conclusion of the latter, Woods announced that Williams would no longer be his caddie. In retaliation, the Kiwi released a statement on his website attacking his former boss.

“I am no longer caddying for Tiger after he informed me that he needed to make a change,” he wrote. “After 13 years of loyal service needless to say this came as a shock. Given the circumstances of the past 18 months working through Tiger’s scandal, a new coach and with it a major swing change and Tiger battling through injuries I am very disappointed to end our very successful partnership at this time.”

At the following month’s WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, won by Scott, Williams hit the headlines by calling the victory “the best win I’ve ever had”. Later the same year, during an event in Shanghai, he was asked to elaborate on what he meant by those comments, to which he replied: “My aim was to shove it right up that black a*******.” He apologised soon afterwards and was publicly forgiven by Woods, who said that his former caddie is “certainly not racist”.

Since their split, Woods has teamed-up to good effect with Joe LaCava, formerly on the bags of Fred Couples and Dustin Johnson. Williams, meanwhile, helped Scott win his first major and climb to the top of the world rankings.

Steve Williams :: Should Tiger take him back?

Do you think Tiger Woods should re-hire former caddie Steve Williams? Leave your thoughts in our ‘Comments’ section below.

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Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Deputy Editor

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