19th Hole

The ‘huge moment’ that led Tiger Woods to have ‘100% trust’ in Steve Williams

Published

4 years ago

Feb 22, 2022

Every so often, we see the importance of the bag-man, the golfer’s assistant on the course, the caddie.

Jim Furyk and Fluff, Phil and Bones, even Joel and Gino, the relationship becomes much closer than that of employer and employee, both working for a common goal and often together for longer than player and spouse.

Related: Former major champ says Tiger had ‘an unprecedented equipment advantage’ in 2000

Of course, not all partnerships work out in the long term but whilst the team is together, there is an almost unspoken agreement of how much the player wants his man to contribute.

Related: Tiger Woods once had a priceless reaction when asked if he’d ever heard of Tom Hoge

Some may be present to measure yardage, to give advice on the greens, or simply to be there should it all go awry, but the one thing all players comment on is the trust behind the relationship, particularly when in contention.

Over recent years very few player-caddie teams have struck a chord with the public more than Tiger Woods and Steve Williams, together for 13 of the 15 Major’s sitting in Tiger’s trophy cabinet.

In the first in a 13-part series of podcasts entitled ‘Chasing Majors’, the 58-year-old discusses the moment that the team really bonded, the episode ending with Tiger having ‘100% trust in me and I had 100% trust in what he was doing.’

Williams discusses how the relationship began before talking about the time Tiger was in contention to win his second major, the 1999 PGA Championship at Medinah.

The pair had reached the 17th green and were facing a vital par putt to remain ahead in the tournament. At this point, player and caddie disagreed on the break in the putt.

“When you play your practice rounds, you try and work out where you think the hole locations are going to be,” said Williams.

“That just happened to be that I put a tee down somewhere close to that spot, and Tiger had putted from both sides. I distinctly recalled the putt didn’t break how you thought it did.”

“One thing I pride myself on is that I say what I think,” stated Williams.

“It would have been very easy for me in that situation to say ‘yep, I think that’s right.’ If you said that, he’s not going to blame you because you saw it the same way I did.”

“But I told him, I said ‘no, Tiger, just trust me, that putt is left-to-right, just trust me.’ That’s exactly what I said.”

“That particular moment cemented our relationship, and in my mind, I thought this relationship is going to be long lasting. That was a huge moment. I could have agreed with Tiger, he could have hit it there, and he may not have won the tournament.”

“Going forward, I think that was the moment Tiger had 100% trust in me and I had 100% trust in what he was doing. That was one of those defining moments in my career.”

What followed enters almost legendary status, and the remaining podcasts are sure to provide more insight into one of the most successful golfing partnerships of all time.

How much each player won at the 2026 Masters

Published

1 month ago

Apr 13, 2026

Gianni Magliocco

Rory McIlroy made it two wins in as many years at Augusta National, seeing off the challengers on a dramatic Sunday to slip on the green jacket once again. The victory earned Rory a whopping payday of $4.5 million, with Scottie Scheffler his closest challenger earning $2.43 million for his sole runner-up finish.

With a total prize purse of $22.5 million up for grabs, here’s a look at how much each player won at the 2026 Masters tournament.

For players that did not make the cut, they still earned $25k for their efforts at the year’s opening major.

1: Rory McIlroy, $4.5 million
2: Scottie Scheffler, $2.43 million
T3: Tyrrell Hatton, $1.08 million
T3: Russell Henley, $1.08 million
T3: Justin Rose, $1.08 million
T3: Cameron Young, $1.08 million
T7: Collin Morikawa, $725,625
T7: Sam Burns, $725,625
T9: Xander Schauffele, $630,00
T9: Max Homa, $630,00
11: Jake Knapp, $562,500
T12: Jordan Spieth, $427,500
T12: Brooks Koepka, $427,500
T12: Hideki Matsuyama, $427,500
T12: Patrick Reed, $427,500
T12: Patrick Cantlay, $427,500
T12: Jason Day, $427,500
T18: Viktor Hovland, $315,000
T18: Maverick McNealy, $315,000
T18: Matt Fitzpatrick, $315,000
T21: Keegan Bradley, $252,000
T21: Ludvig Aberg, $252,000
T21: Wyndham Clark, $252,000
T24: Matt McCarty, $182,083
T24: Adam Scott, $182,083
T24: Sam Stevens, $182,083
T24: Chris Gotterup, $182,083
T24: Michael Brennan, $182,083
T24: Brian Campbell, $182,083
T30: Alex Noren, $146,250
T30: Harris English, $146,250
T30: Shane Lowry, $146,250
T33: Gary Woodland, $121,500
T33: Dustin Johnson, $121,500
T33: Brian Harman, $121,500
T33: Tommy Fleetwood, $121,500
T33: Ben Griffin, $121,500
T38: Jon Rahm, $105,750
T38: Ryan Gerard, $101,250
T38: Haotong Li, $96,750
T41: Justin Thomas, $92,250
T41: Sepp Straka, $87,750
T41: Jacob Bridgeman, $83,250
T41: Kristoffer Reitan, $78,750
T41: Nick Taylor, $74,250
46: Sungjae Im, $69,750
47: Si Woo Kim, $65,250
48: Aaron Rai, $61,650
T49: Corey Conners, $57,600
T49: Marco Penge, $57,600
51: Kurt Kitayama, $55,250
52: Sergio Garcia, $54,000
53: Rasmus Hojgaard, $52,650
54: Charl Schwartzel, $51,300

19th Hole

CBS’s Sunday Masters coverage slammed by golf fans

Published

1 month ago

Apr 13, 2026

Gianni Magliocco

While Sunday was a dramatic day at the Masters, many golf fans were left feeling frustrated by the CBS final round coverage.

There were plenty of moments that golf fans took to social media to air their frustrations on Sunday over, including a lack of shots being shown throughout the day, being behind the live action, confusion over the approach shots of the final group on 18, and providing an angle for the winning putt where the cup couldn’t be seen.

Here’s a look at some of the criticisms that were directed at the CBS coverage throughout the day on X:

This has been a brutal broadcast for CBS. When the folks from Augusta sit down with them this year, you can bet they’ll talk about this 15 seconds where we have no idea where Rory’s ball went, and Dottie moans. #TheMasters pic.twitter.com/ak3mkpIN7V

— Ryan (@PossiblyRy) April 12, 2026

It’s rare criticism coming in for CBS, who are usually heavily praised for their Masters coverage each year.

19th Hole

The surprise club Tommy Fleetwood says is key to his Masters chances

Published

1 month ago

Apr 7, 2026

Gianni Magliocco

Tommy Fleetwood goes in search for the first major victory of his career again this week, with the Englishman proving to be a popular pick at Augusta National.

Fleetwood’s best showing at Augusta came back in 2024 where he finished T3, and while speaking at his pre-tournament press conference, the 35-year-old emphasized the importance of his 9-wood in his pursuit of the green jacket.

Speaking on Tuesday to media, Fleetwood said:

“It’s a great 9-wood golf course. I think it’s always been — I can’t remember when I first put like a 9-wood in or a high lofted club, but it’s a perfect like 9-wood golf course. I’ve had that in the bag for a few years.”

The Englishman continued, revealing that his strategy for the week won’t just be to hit driver off the tee as much as possible:

“Yeah, it’s funny really because I know Augusta is probably associated with being fairly forgiving off the tee in a way, so you think you can whale around driver a little bit. But I don’t necessarily think that’s always the play for me. I think there’s holes that set up really well where I can draw it with the mini driver if I’m feeling less comfortable with the driver and things like that.”

That strategy he believes will make his TaylorMade Qi10 9-wood extra critical this week in Georgia:

“The biggest thing is the 9-wood for me. If I can put myself in position on the par-5s or the 4th long par-3, like it — for me, I can’t really hit that high 4-iron, so 9-wood helps me a lot.”