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

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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.

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.

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

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19th Hole

“Is it a Titleist?” – Jerry Seinfeld shares never-before-heard details of iconic scene

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On Thursday, legendary comedian Jerry Seinfeld joined the Rich Eisen Show and shared an awesome story from a “Seinfeld” episode titled “The Marine Biologist.”

In the episode, a golf ball goes into the blow hole of a whale. According to Seinfeld, that was never in the episode’s script.

Seinfeld recalls saying the night before the filming of the episode, “What if what puts the whale in distress is Kramer’s golf ball?”

“He’s hitting golf balls at the beach. George is at the beach with a girl, we haven’t connected them!”

“We write that speech the night before at two o’clock in the morning…The sea was angry that day my friend.”

 

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A post shared by Rich Eisen (@richeisen)


Kramer finishes the iconic scene by asking “Is it a Titleist?” Seinfeld told Eisen the show sought Titleist’s permission to mention its name, saying the ball had to be a Titleist. Fortunately for lovers of the iconic show, the company agreed.

If (somehow) you’re unfamiliar with the scene, check it out below.

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Phil Mickelson drops big retirement hint; Says LIV will grow the game ‘on a much more global basis’

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While speaking with Bloomberg, golf legend Phil Mickelson acknowledged that he is inching close towards retirement.

“I’m 53 now,” Phil said, “and my career, you know, it’s — if I’m being truthful, it’s on — it’s — it’s — I’m a — it’s towards its end.”

Mickelson added that one of his focuses now is helping other young players.

“Now, I would like to help others find the same enjoyment and fulfillment that the game has provided me. I’d like them to experience that as well.”

The six-time major champion credited LIV with reaching new markets in golf to help it grow.

“I think that’s exciting for everyone involved in the game because we are going to reach markets that we didn’t reach before. I think it’s going to inspire more golf courses, inspire more manufacturers selling clubs and equipment, but also inspiring young kids to try to play golf professionally. I just see that the game of golf is going to grow on a much more global basis because of the excitement and the presence that LIV Golf has.”

Mickelson is playing at this week’s LIV Singapore and shot a first round 72 (+1).

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Tiger explains why golf has ‘negative connotations’ for daughter Sam

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While Tiger Woods’ son, Charlie, has certainly inherited his father’s love for golf, his daughter, Sam, has not.

On Wednesday, Tiger made an appearance on The Today Show with Carson Daly and explained his daughter’s relationship with golf.

“Golf has negative connotations for her. When she was growing up, golf took daddy away from her. I had to pack, I had to leave, and I was gone for weeks. So, there were negative connotations to it.

“We developed our own relationship and our own rapport outside of golf. We do things that doesn’t involve golf. Meanwhile, my son and I, everything we do is golf related.”

The nine-minute interview touches on plenty of other subjects, such as Tiger’s relationship with his late father, Earl.

It’s arguably the most open we’ve seen the 15-time major champion in an interview and is most definitely worth watching.

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