It seemed like a perfect pairing, which made the split even more puzzling.
But two years after Tiger Woods parted ways with caddie Steve Williams, Williams revealed why Woods fired him after Williams helped Woods win all but one of his 14 Majors championships.
According to CBSSports.com and Golf.com, Williams, who now caddies for Adam Scott, had a lengthy conversation with Brian Wacker of PGATour.com. Williams, who served as Woods' caddie from 1999-2011, describe what happened:
"I left New Zealand with the intention of caddying for Tiger in the U.S. Open that year," Williams was reported as saying. I was told by his agent he was going to play, even though he had been hurt for the previous month. I had my father-in-law with me and a friend flying in from Oregon who was going to come to the U.S. Open, too. But when I got to the States, I learned (Tiger) wasn't playing, so we went to Oregon, where I have a summer house. That's when I got a call from Adam Scott, who had recently let go of his longtime caddie Tony Navarro. Adam heard Tiger pulled out and wondered where I was. I phoned Tiger about it and he said, 'No problem.' After some thought, though, he didn't agree with it. Tiger changed his mind. Well, I'd already told Adam I would be there. I wasn't prepared to ring Adam up and say I can't do it. I'm a man of my word. I had no idea I was going to get fired over it. I also hadn't worked a lot. Not that I needed the money, but I wanted to work. I was told (by Tiger) after U.S. Open that I no longer had a job and it's as simple as that."
Both websites cite that interview on PGATour.com as the source for Williams' explanation of his firing. Interestingly, that portion of the interview was not on the PGATour.com website article.
Scott also reportedly said Woods claimed he fired Williams after the final round of the AT&T National just before Independence Day in 2011, but Williams said Woods fired him after the U.S. Open earlier that year.
But in reporting the firing in 2011, ESPN stated, "Williams said he met with Woods in a board room at Aronimink after the final round of the AT&T National on July 3, and Woods told him they would no longer work together. Williams said they agreed not to say anything until after the British Open, to keep from being a distraction to Scott."
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