Tiger Woods’s longtime caddie Steve Williams once said carrying his bag was like carrying the weight of sport. He worked every hole, knowing any swing could make history. The stress hits hard, and he openly said that mental tension was ‘beyond words’. Comparing Tiger’s aura to Scottie Scheffler’s current dominance, he argued that both players require a lot of precision to win. But Tiger’s intensity was completely different.

Recently, on the Tee It Up Podcast with Q, Williams discussed Tiger’s phenomenal facility for concentrating, the absurd degree of expectation that parameterized his game, and how even an error of a fraction felt like a national emergency. Williams recalled that he sometimes went home tired out for days, because of Tiger’s intensity infected everyone around him.

Steve Williams also spoke about how Scottie Scheffler compares to Tiger Woods. When asked about the similarities, Williams said, “When you get somebody that’s at the top of the game… it just comes down to the desire of wanting to win,” he said, pointing to Tiger’s psyche. Williams said Tiger measured his success solely in one way.“His only measure of a successful week was when he won a golf tournament.” That attitude turned every week into a pressure cooker.

He recollected the feelings heavy in the air. Williams said he found it “very intense” to work beside Tiger because if Tiger didn’t win a fight, then he had lost the war. “If he didn’t win the tournament, it wasn’t a successful week.” That mindset set the expectations. It also built a bubble of stress around every tournament. Steve lived inside that bubble, almost breathless.

Then he swung over to Scottie Scheffler. Williams thought the current form Scheffler is in is unbeatable. He said, Scheffler has had a couple of unbelievable years… he’s on track to probably do something in the same wording as what Tiger’s been able to accomplish.”

But Steve did not crown him yet. He pointed out again that Tiger’s peak was a wild disturbance of some sort. “He certainly hasn’t quite got to that dominance yet, but he’s heading in the right direction.” That praise felt measured, not cheap.

Williams thinks Scheffler is on a familiar path. He sees the same obsession with winning and a strong support team.

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Where caddies carry more than bags

On the surface, caddies look like nothing special, clad in quiet dress, shouldering heavy bags that are anything but modest; heavier even than the player’s own ego. Somehow, they bring legends home through Sunday pins and the brainstorms of Saturday night. Their job is that of a human GPS; they give advice on how to play each hole based on wind strength and direction.

They are also well paid. First-rate caddies can pull down big bucks from salary and travel expenses, as well as getting a share of any winnings by the player they work for. When a player wins, it may take up to ten percent. That’s why a few top caddies can bank just as much “ka-ching” as top-three players right now. But along with the bucks comes pressure bad enough to snap a graphite shaft. Pick the wrong club on 18, and forever shall you be remembered in cyberspace. But the player mostly gets the credit, which isn’t fair, but is it true? Yes.

The psychological strain is rough. A caddie walks every yard of every round over miles of sodden fairways. He studies a golf course for days, learning the hidden humps and wind routes. Caddie must deliver both criticism and encouragement when needed. Naturally, he has to tell a player straight up what he thinks, even if that means saying, “No, dude. That shot is dumb.”

Names like Fluff Cowan, Bones Mackay, Steve Williams, and Ted Scott have helped swing major historical moments without ever hitting a shot. They became great beneath storm clouds, stayed off camera even when they shone on rare occasions, and got little credit. But talk to the very best players themselves, and they’ll tell you clearly: a good caddie makes a difference to how good your life gets as a professional athlete. The bond between player and caddie can be one of the most intimate relationships sport offers.

Elite caddies prove this: the very best at golf are often those players you don’t see. The game is noisy. Their worth says nothing.