19th Hole

Steve Williams reveals the number of majors Tiger planned to win

Published

6 years ago

Aug 29, 2018

Steve Williams, Tiger Woods’ caddie from 1999 through 2011, has spoken and written about his former boss on a few occasions since the pair parted ways — most notably in his book “Out of the Rough.”

Rehashing their strained relationship is beside the point, but if you’re interested in the things Williams was most upset with Woods about, check out my 2015 breakdown of his book.

Anyway, Williams penned a piece for the Players Voice about Woods’ recent resurgence. Much of the piece is forward-looking. Williams believes Woods will win majors in 2019. However, there are other interesting morsels of note that could otherwise fall through the cracks.

Here are a few.

A notable 2008 U.S. Open quote

“That 2008 US Open was all about mind over body. I’d never seen Tiger in so much pain.”

“At one point in the second round he was visibly close to tears. He was a long way off the lead and I thought it was pointless to continue so I said to him, ‘Is it really worth it, Tiger?’”

“‘F— you,’ he replied. ‘I’m winning this tournament.’”

Why Tiger starts slow

“The other thing people noted about the PGA was the fact he was three-over par after just two holes on the first day and ended up losing to Koepka by two shots.”

“This is one trademark of Tiger’s game that I remember well. He often made average starts to tournaments. That’s because, like anyone who takes pride in what they do, Tiger gets very nervous at the start of an event and it shows.”

“He also knows all too well that you can’t win the tournament on Thursday but you can sure as hell lose it. That leads him to make a more conservative start to the tournament than some other players.”

The number of majors Tiger planned to win

“Back when we were working together we’d often have this conversation about how many majors he wanted to win. I believed that when he got to the target he wanted he would rack the cue – it’s just that we were always unclear on what that number would be.”

“Initially it was 20 and then he said one day, ‘No, Stevie, your favourite number is 21 and we’ll get to that’. I came back with: ‘No, you’re a great Michael Jordan fan, so why don’t we go for 23?’.”

Of course, Woods’ plans went up in smoke, as we know, to the extent that he never really expected to play golf again. It’d be interesting to hear if he, like Williams, believes he could one day hoist major trophy No. 19.

Williams full piece is well worth a read.

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19th Hole

LET pro gives detailed financial breakdown of first week on tour…and the net result may shock you

Published

3 days ago

Apr 26, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

On Friday morning, Ladies European Tour player, Hannah Gregg, took to social media to share her weekly expenses playing on the LET.

Expenses of my first week on Ladies European Tour:
Flights: $2600
Work Visa: $350
Food: $377
Caddie: $0 because I have an amazing Fiancé
Hotel: $0 because @GregChalmersPGA sorted me host housing for the week! ?
Rental Car: +0 because the Tour Tee guys GAVE me their car ??…

— Hannah Gregg (@hannahbggg) April 26, 2024

“Expenses of my first week on Ladies European Tour: Flights: $2600 Work Visa: $350

Food: $377
Caddie: $0 because I have an amazing Fiancé
Hotel: $0 because @GregChalmersPGA sorted me host housing for the week!
Rental Car: +0 because the Tour Tee guys GAVE me their car
Gas: $165
Entry Fee: $130
Lounge Pass for caddie: $50
Gym: $0
Yardage book: $0
Total expenses: $3672

Made cut, finished 54th, total earned: $1244 Factor in 35% tax on earnings. To break even, needed to finish 24th. To make money, 21st. Guess we have our goals laid out for next event!”

When factoring in Gregg’s free housing, free caddie and free rental car, it’s evident that most LET players would have to finish well inside of the top-20 to make any money.

With ridiculous amounts of money being thrown around in professional golf these days, it’s important to remember the other side of the coin as well. There are countless professionals out there who struggle to get by on their golf salary.

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19th Hole

54-hole golf tour deemed eligible for OWGR points…but it’s not LIV

Published

4 days ago

Apr 25, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

After a seventeen-month application process, a 54-hole golf tour was deemed eligible for OWGR points.

Unfortunately, for LIV Golf and their fans, it was the Clutch Pro Tour.

After the decision, which is effective immediately, OWGR chairman Peter Dawson issued a statement.

“This is a significant milestone for golf, and OWGR is deeply encouraged by the achievement and the continued efforts in developing the sport of golf in the United Kingdom.”

“We look forward to watching the progress of the Clutch Pro Tour as it continues to play a key role in the development of players from the region,” Dawson added.

OWGR Announcement
Read more here – https://t.co/7J4bFpawqv #OWGR #OfficialWorldGolfRanking pic.twitter.com/ZfBJWCFAm8

— OWGR (@OWGRltd) April 25, 2024

The Clutch Pro Tour operates in the United Kingdom and features a 36-hole cut. It also has an open qualifying school.

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19th Hole

Charlie Woods attempting to qualify for spot at 2024 U.S. Open

Published

4 days ago

Apr 25, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

As first reported by Bob Harig of Sports Illustrated, Charlie Woods will be attempting to qualify for this year’s U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2.

The first stage of qualifying for this year’s tournament will be an 18-hole local event on Thursday, April 25th, in Port St. Lucie, Florida.

There will be 84 players in the field, five of which will reach the 36-hole qualifier that will take place in June.

Earlier this season, Charlie attempted to qualify for the Cognizant Classic, and struggled, shooting an 86.

If the younger Woods is able to qualify, he will tee it up in the same field as his father in a few months at one of the more historic U.S. Open venues.