What does his ex caddie say Tiger Woods will struggle with this week?

Few people in golf know Tiger Woods better than Steve Williams.

The Kiwi was by the 44-year-old’s side for 13 of his 15 major wins during a hugely prolific 13-year partnership.

That’s why he is confident he knows what his former boss will struggle with during this week’s US PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park.

The absence of supporters.

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Williams, who was famously abrupt with fans during his time as Woods’ looper, told the Australian Associated Press that the former world No.1 will find it hard to get motivated without any spectators on site.  

“When you haven’t played a lot of tournament golf and you get to an event with a lot of hype around it like the PGA, the atmosphere is generated by the fans and that can really get your competitive juices flowing,” said 56-year-old Williams.

“Majors have a different feel from regular PGA Tour events; there is a real buzz about them,” Williams said.

“With that element missing, for someone who hasn’t played a lot of tournament golf this year, it’ll be challenging for Tiger to find that spark he needs.”

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This week marks only Woods’ second competitive appearance since February, partly due to injury but largely due to the COVID-19 lockdown.

A four-time US PGA champion, he most recently got his hands on the Wanamaker trophy in 2007. He has featured at the weekend of the championship only once in his last six starts, when he finished runner-up to Brooks Koepka in 2018.

At the time of writing, he is priced at around 35/1 with bookmakers to win this week.