Tiger Woods’ ex-caddie Steve Williams backs icon to win Masters and break Nicklaus’ Majors record
TIGER WOODS’ ex-caddie Steve Williams is backing him to win The Masters AGAIN — and break Jack Nicklaus’ Majors record.
Williams was American legend Woods’ bag man for 13 of his 15 Major victories.
But the New Zealander has not had many good things to say about his old boss since being sacked nine years ago.
That has changed since Woods surprised everyone — especially Williams — by ending an 11-year Major championship drought with his sensational victory at Augusta last year.
Now Williams believes Woods, 44, has several more huge wins to look forward to.
And the Kiwi fancies him to boost his Majors haul in November at the rescheduled Masters, which was postponed for this month due to coronavirus.
Williams said: “Age is not on his side, but you’d never ever put anything past him.
“To break Jack’s record of 18 Majors is obviously going to take some kind of special achievement, though it’s certainly something he could absolutely achieve.
“Tiger is the greatest golfer who has ever played. There is simply no one who plays better under pressure than he does. When he gets himself into a situation to win tournaments, he has an incredible victory ratio.”
Williams, who also helped Adam Scott win at Augusta in 2013, believes the course will play much tougher than usual in November.
And he reckons that will suit five-time Masters champ Woods and other players with plenty of local knowledge.
He added: “You’d say over 72 holes, Tiger’s knowledge and experience at Augusta National is unrivalled. There will also be less chance of rain and cooler air, which should see firmer greens — and that is when Augusta plays its hardest.
“Augusta will favour the longer hitters with the course playing longer and the greens firmer. So if he’s in good form going there, Tiger will be near the lead.
“There is absolutely no reason he can’t slip that Green Jacket on again in November — if he is fit.”
Williams has not always been so supportive of the former world No 1 since they parted ways in 2011. In his autobiography, he accused Woods of treating him “like a slave”.
He wrote: “One thing that really p****d me off was how he would flippantly toss a club in the general direction of the bag, expecting me to go over and pick it up.
“I felt uneasy about bending down to pick up his discarded club — it was like I was his slave. The other thing that disgusted me was his habit of spitting at the hole if he missed a putt.”
And when Williams teamed up with Australian Scott, his jubilant reaction after their first victory together — calling it “the best win of my career” — prompted his fellow caddies to give him a spoof award for his over-the-top celebrations.
LATEST GOLF NEWS
Williams sparked a massive controversy by saying he would like to shove the trophy “up that black a***hole”.
He quickly issued a public apology and Woods defended him from claims it was a race slur, saying Williams was “certainly not a racist”.
There were signs of a thawing in their frosty relationship when Williams hailed Tiger’s latest Masters win as “absolutely awesome”.
He went on: “Now Tiger has come back, winning a Major and possibly putting Jack’s record in play again, it just re-energises the game.
“All those kids who were watching had to think it was fantastic. What he's done is a remarkable achievement. It’s just so positive.
“For him to actually come back full cycle to win another Major championship — it's an incredible story.”