19th Hole

Report: Steve Williams ends retirement and will caddie this month

Published

2 years ago

Nov 21, 2022

Matt Vincenzi

According to Evin Priest of Golf Digest, Steve Williams will be returning to caddie duties this month.

Related: ‘Not very happy with that article’ – Nelly Korda hits out at interview involving current coach

Per the report, Williams will be on the bag for Adam Scott at the upcoming Australian PGA Championship, being played at Royal Queensland in Brisbane, and the Australian Open at Kingston Heath and Victoria G.C. on the Melbourne Sandbelt.

The New Zealander was on Adam Scott’s bag for his historic 2013 Masters Championship victory, and the duo will also look to make one more run at a major next season as Williams will likely loop for the Aussie at the majors, per the report.

Related: Ex-caddie Steve Williams reveals the one time he ever placed a bet on Tiger Woods

Williams is best known for his work as Tiger Woods’ caddie from 1999-2011 but it was widely reported that he was was let go by Woods after he caddied for Scott while Tiger was recovering from an injury.

While speaking to Golf Digest, Scott outlined his excitement that Williams would be returning to his bag, with his usual caddie Greg Hearmon continuing to work with him as well.

“For me it’s exciting to work again with Steve and see if we can rediscover the magic. As a player, you experience different points in your career. Right now, on the PGA Tour is a time of change, and I’m adjusting to it. Having Steve and Greg doing a job share is going to help me get everything I need and that’s to be fresh at the biggest events.”

Scott and Williams stopped working together in 2017, and since then Scott has been a bit less competitive in majors as he was prior to the split.

“My goal is to win majors; I had a good run with Steve in the majors and we did win the Masters, but it’s about getting an overall balance for what I need to perform in the biggest events,” Scott said. “Steve is at a point in his life where he’d like to have a dabble again, so to speak. It’s a good balance for him because it won’t be a full year’s grind.”

Williams is looking forward to getting to work as well, saying he’s going to bring “a lot of enthusiasm”.

“The time I spent caddying for Adam was very memorable; helping him becoming the first Australian to win at Augusta,” Williams said. “I feel Adam is in a good shape with his game, and I’m fresh having not caddied for a few years, so I’ll bring a lot of enthusiasm.”

“I’ve always said to Adam and to others, to be remembered as one of the great players, you have to win multiple majors. The opportunity to try and get Adam major No. 2 and elevate himself to a special group of players in history, would be a privilege.”

The Open TV ratings don’t make for pretty reading

Published

2 days ago

Jul 24, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

According to Josh Carpenter of Sports Business Journal, last week’s Open Championship suffered its lowest television rating in almost a decade.

NBC and Peacock drew 3.39M viewers on Sunday for Xander Schauffele’s two-shot win in @TheOpen, down 4% from last year and Brian Harman.

That’s the lowest number for the final round since Zach Johnson’s win in 2015, which finished on a Monday on ESPN (cable) pic.twitter.com/9r7guxnfx1

— Josh Carpenter (@JoshACarpenter) July 23, 2024

The final round was down four percent from Brian Harman’s win in 2023 at Royal Liverpool, which offered very little drama down the stretch. It was the lowest-rated final round since Zach Johnson’s win in 2015 at St. Andrews: and that was a Monday finish.

Stars such as Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau, Ludvig Aberg, Viktor Hovland all missed the cut, which may have contributed to the lack of interest from casual golf fans.

This year, the Masters and The Open have decreased in ratings while the PGA Championship and U.S. Open saw an uptick. It’s fair to speculate whether the inclusion of Bryson DeChambeau deep into contention had an impact.

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19th Hole

‘That looks brutal’ – First photo of Tiger Woods’ leg without sleeve shows depth of injury

Published

4 days ago

Jul 23, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

It’s been a struggle of late for Tiger Woods on the golf course. The 15-time major champion has only teed it up five times in 2024, finishing 60th in The Masters and missing the cut in the other three majors. He also played in the Genesis Invitational and was forced to withdraw.

Woods has many ailments, but none as debilitating as his surgically repaired leg. Since his car accident three years ago, the 48-year-old has rarely been seen without wearing a leg sleeve. However, on Monday, a fan was able to take a photograph of Woods’ leg without the sleeve.

@blakebunkersgolf IG

??? #LOOK: A photo has emerged of Tiger Woods without his leg sleeve @TWlegion

(Via: blakebunkersgolf/IG) pic.twitter.com/ppaGLdXg8X

— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) July 22, 2024

The photo was taken at an event Tiger’s son, Charlie, was playing in by “blakebunkersgolf” on Instagram, and one of the top responses on X towards the photo was simply “That looks brutal.”

Woods has struggled with the lack of reps on the course but hasn’t given any indication as to whether his schedule will look any different come 2025.

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John Daly says this is the best golf course in Scotland…and it’s not St. Andrews

Published

4 days ago

Jul 23, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

John Daly withdrew at last week’s Open Championship with a knee injury, but the 58-year-old was back on the links this week showcasing one of the most famous golf courses in the world for his fans.

While at Trump Turnberry, John Daly recorded a video of the 18th green.

In the video, the 1995 Open Champion shared his opinion that Turnberry is the best golf course in Scotland, even better than St. Andrews.

?????????? #BEST OF THE BEST — John Daly says Trump Turnberry beats out St Andrews for the title of best golf course in Scotland.

Do you agree?

(Via: @LGlick1) pic.twitter.com/Ya7FIJEfp2

— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) July 22, 2024

“Hey everybody, John Daly here. I’m at Trump Turnberry today. I went out and tried to play a little bit. This place is amazing. It is the best golf course in Scotland, I think. St. Andrews is my baby, but I think I just found my new baby. I’m at the 18th green right here, this thing is unreal.”

Turnberry hosted its first Open Championship in 1977, which was dubbed “The Duel in the Sun” when Tom Watson beat Jack Nicklaus by a single stroke. The most recent Open the course hosted was 2009, where Watson almost won again, but lost to Stewart Cink in a playoff.

The course is not slated to host any Open Championships in the foreseeable future.