TOGETHER WE ROARED

Up close and personal with golf history.

As told to golf journalist Priest, Williams recounts his 12 years caddying for Woods, from 1999 to 2011, a historic run of 13 majors and more than 80 other wins. After Woods dropped his previous caddie, he called Williams to see if he’d be interested. Williams told Priest he saw Woods as a “nice guy with a sense of humor.” At their first tournament, the New Zealander learned he had to deal with security officers, wear Nike apparel, and be his gatekeeper. After 68 days, they finally won, in Germany. After they won the Memorial Tournament, Williams tells Priest he felt like this “would be a lasting relationship.” He was now appreciating Woods’ generosity and loyalty and talks about how financially generous Woods was to him. He describes Woods as a “meticulous and ruthless plodder” with an “astonishing” work ethic. They won their first major together, the PGA. Williams kept detailed notebooks about Tiger’s game, like his impressive three-putt avoidance for 248 consecutive holes. Williams calls 2000, when Tiger switched to a new ball, “perhaps the greatest year of golf that has ever been played.” In that year his win at the British Open at St. Andrews gave Woods a grand slam and record-setting score. Afterward, Williams joyfully drank from the claret jug. He offers up some golf gossip, like there was “no love lost” between Woods and fellow pro Vijay Singh, and Woods and Phil Mickelson weren’t friends. Williams provides lots of insider info on many rounds, tournaments, and shots, the stress he often felt, and the feelings of accomplishment working and winning with one of the game’s greatest until after Woods’ sex scandal and their resulting “messy split in 2011.”

A breezy story golf fans will enjoy.