By Evin Priest
Steve Williams is coming out of retirement to caddie for Adam Scott in Australia, with the intention of helping the 42-year-old chase an elusive second major championship next year.
Williams, 58, is most famous for carrying Tiger Woods’ bag from 1999 to 2011, but the New Zealander also looped for Greg Norman, Raymond Floyd and Ian Baker-Finch during his career. Following his split with Woods in 2011 after a partnership that yielded 13 major victories, Williams joined Scott’s team and helped him secure a breakthrough major win at the 2013 Masters.
Williams will be on the bag the next two weeks at the Australian PGA Championship, being played at Royal Queensland in Brisbane, and the Australian Open at Kingston Heath and Victoria Golf Club on the Melbourne Sandbelt. In 2023, Scott will likely have Williams and Scott’s regular caddie, Greg Hearmon, share the bag.
“For me it’s exciting to work again with Steve and see if we can rediscover the magic,” Scott told Golf Digest on Sunday. “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.”
When Scott and Williams parted ways at the end of 2017, Williams retired after more than 40 years of caddieing. Since then, Scott has had mixed results at the majors. He finished third and was in the final group with eventual champion Brooks Koepka at the 2018 PGA Championship at Bellerive, before top-10s at the PGA and US Open the following year. He has been in the mix but has not truly contended at the majors since 2019.
Scott, who also held the World No. 1 ranking briefly in 2014, is hungry to try to win a second major championship next year.
“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 was delighted to be back on the bag for Scott.
“The time I spent caddieing 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.”
Both Scott and Williams have good records at the venues for next year’s major championship, with the PGA Championship going to Oak Hill in upstate New York and the Open Championship returning to Royal Liverpool. Scott finished tied for fifth at both venues with Williams on the bag at the 2013 PGA and 2014 Open.
Royal Liverpool is also where Tiger won the 2006 Open with Williams as his bagman.
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