Jack Nicklaus is a pioneer of the sport. He went on to become one of the biggest names back in his playing days. Speaking about his accomplishments, the Golden Bear clinched a whopping eighteen major titles along with seventy-three tour wins. A few years after Niklaus, the US golfing realm got yet another legend in Tiger Woods. And it is his initial reaction towards Niklaus’ record that almost proved why Woods is a legend.

In a recent episode of the ‘Tee It Up Podcast,’ the host sat down with the former caddie of Woods, Steve Williams. And while Williams has a lot of interesting stories to share, the host was interested to hear one incident in particular. He asked Williams that while he was caddying for Ray Floyd, how he ended up with Woods. 

Reminiscing about those moments, Williams stated that he went to meet Woods at his house soon after the Miami tournament. Upon meeting with the golfing legend, Woods asked him to wait for a while as he was seemingly busy with some work. Surprisingly for Williams, Woods was playing a video game, and this was something that instantly took Williams by surprise.

“So, he said he opened the door and said, “Come in. I’m just doing something.” He was playing a video game and and the intensity with which he was playing this game was something l’d never seen before. I wasn’t privy to playing video games cuz it’s something I never did, and l never watched anyone playing a video and, but the intensity that he was thinking, if this guy is that intense playing a video game, what’s he going to be like, you know, on the golf course?” said Williams. And while Woods’ ex-caddie was going through all of these questions in his mind, the US golfing icon dropped a bombshell. 

He wanted to break Jack Nicklaus’ record of winning 18 majors! “Anyway, and you know, we sit down and chat and discuss things, and he makes it very apparent that, you know, I want to break Jack’s record. You know, he’s got 18 majors. I want to get to 19 majors and, you know, this is what I’m what’s all about.” Williams was awestruck when he heard what Woods was saying. After all, beating the record of the legendary Niklaus was not child’s play.

However, while Williams was skeptical about caddying for Woods, Ian Baker Smith insisted that he accept the offer. And quite rightly so, although Woods did not break Nicklaus’ record, he went on to win 15 majors with 82 PGA Tour wins. Meanwhile, this was not the only interesting story that Williams narrated.

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Steve Williams points to one underrated skill of Tiger Woods that nobody knew

Williams had been one of the first-hand witnesses of Woods’s entire career. Caddying for the legend, the duo accounted for 13 out of 15 major titles together. Unfortunately, at the moment, there is an air of uncertainty regarding how long Woods will be absent from the fairway. Owing to his lingering back issues, the US golfing star underwent surgery. And as his long absence continues, there are also rumors of Woods retiring from the course altogether. 

Thankfully, the 49-year-old has given us enough memories to cheer about. And speaking on the ‘Tee It Up Podcast,’ Williams shared yet another intriguing piece of information. This time, he highlighted a highly underrated skill of Woods. “Playing golf out of the rough. He was the best player out of the rough ever, without question. His ability to dig the ball out of not great lies and hit it approximately pin high was beyond belief,” said Williams.

To prove his point, Williams referred to the instance when Woods shot at Pebble Beach out of the right-hand side over the water and up the hill. According to Woods’ ex-caddie, “There is no other player on the planet who would attempt it, let alone hit it on the green and make birdie.” Surely, it is evident that Woods has left an indelible mark on the golfing community. And even as he is out injured, the stories will continue to inspire the golf fans.