Steve Williams has caddied for some of the best players to have ever graced the game, including Tiger Woods, Greg Norman, Raymond Floyd and Adam Scott.
Williams enjoyed so much success in the game that he was named as New Zealand’s richest sportsman around the turn of the century.
He was on Woods‘ bag for 13 of his 15 major championships and he caddied for Scott during his win at The Masters in 2013.
The 61-year-old caddied for Norman for many of his wins in the 1980s as well.
However, the New Zealander unsurprisingly enjoyed caddying for Woods more than anyone else, given the success he shared with the man many believe is the greatest of all time.
Williams has admitted he would work again with Woods, if he was offered the opportunity to do so.
Does he still hold Norman in similar regard, though?
Steve Williams shares what he thinks of Greg Norman
Norman was a hot topic of discussion during his time with LIV Golf, with many fans criticizing the role he played in the formation of the Saudi-back golf league.
The Australian has, of course, now left LIV, and is eyeing up new challenges.
With the recent criticism being aimed at Norman, it’s interesting to hear what Williams had to say on his former boss.
The experienced caddie made an appearance on the Tee It Up Golf Podcast, and responded when asked to share his feelings on Norman.
Williams explained: “One of the summers in Australia I was caddying for Ian Baker-Finch. He was paired with Greg and in the last round of the tournament at Metropolitan, it was in the early 80’s, and it was the first time I had met Greg.
“After the tournament he asked for my number, he didn’t say anything. He just asked for my number.
“Then a couple of weeks later, over the Christmas holidays, I got a call from him and he said, ‘would you be interested in caddying for me, I am going to play in the Victorian Open and the Australian Masters and a couple of other tournaments in Australia at the start of the year’.
“I said, ‘absolutely’. It was good. So I went over there and caddied for him and then we got on like a house on fire. I lied to him about my age, I did not tell him how young I was. I upped my age by about three years to make sure that he wasn’t thinking the guy that is caddying for me is too young.
“I couldn’t go to America, I didn’t have the credentials to caddy there, but he said I am playing a few tournaments in Europe and some tournaments in Asia or Japan, so basically what happened was that I started caddying for him in all the tournaments he played outside of America.
“He was a great guy to caddie for, the most difficult guy I’ve ever caddied for. And if you asked a group of caddies who were doing it when Greg Norman played and asked 20 caddies the five hardest guys to caddie for, every guy would mention Greg. He is just the hardest guy to caddie for, but a great guy.
“I actually really enjoyed my time working with him because I wasn’t caddying for him full time.
“And when it did come round, when I got my work credentials to go and caddie for him in America, it only lasted a couple of years.
“I honestly believe that if I had not had had the opportunity to caddie for him I may not have been as successful as I have been, as he treated me like a son and he was fantastic, but also he taught me so much about the game that I did not know.
“He would explain to me what kind of shot he was going to hit and why he was going to hit it. He taught me which enabled me to help him. He was fantastic.
“And it was great preparation to caddie for a guy like that, because he was just like Tiger. He had an incredible aura about him. He drew the people in. Those tournaments, I’ll never forget, particularly the Australian Masters every year. It was a sell-out and he was the draw card. He was a fantastic character and he was one of the greatest players of all time.“
Greg Norman called Jack Nicklaus a hypocrite due to his LIV Golf views
Norman has always been someone who has stood up for what he believes in.
The Australian never backs down from defending himself either, when he receives criticism.
Back in 2022, Nicklaus responded when asked what he thought about Norman’s role in the inception of LIV.
“Let me just sum this up with a couple of words,’’ Nicklaus said. “First of all, Greg Norman is an icon in the game of golf. He’s a great player. We’ve been friends for a long time, and regardless of what happens, he’s going to remain a friend. Unfortunately, he and I just don’t see eye-to-eye in what’s going on. I’ll basically leave it at that.’’
Norman fired back at Nicklaus with a typically no-nonsense response.
“Jack’s a hypocrite,’’ Norman said. “When he came out with those comments, I’m thinking: Jack must have a short memory.’’
The Australian’s comments were in relation to a letter that Nicklaus supposedly wrote to LIV Golf after being offered an ambassadorial role thought to be worth around $100 million.
Norman continued: “Quote-unquote, he said: ‘This is good for our game. If it’s good for the game of golf, it’s good by me’. “So you want the facts? You’ve got the facts. Know what you said before you open your mouth.’’
If you are going to come at the Shark, you better make sure you don’t miss!
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