“Didn’t know what was gonna happen” - Steve Williams wishes he left Tiger Woods before the scandal

US golfer Tiger Woods hit a major personal low when the story of his infidelity towards then-wife Elin Nordegren broke out in 2009.

The news quickly snowballed into a full-blown cheating scandal as several women came forward alleging that Woods had cheated on Nordegren with them. The poster boy of golf was in the headlines again, but this time for all the wrong reasons.

The scandal led to Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren's divorce. At this time, Tiger Woods had taken a break from golf. He was also battling injuries, making his appearances at tournaments infrequent. His last win was at the JBWere Masters in 2009.

Woods returned to competition in 2010 with his decade-long caddie Steve Williams. However, Woods fired Williams in July 2011.

Tiger Woods, Elin Nordegren, and Steve Williams at the 135th Open Championship - Final Round 2006 (Image via Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)

Steve Williams spoke about it to Graham Bensinger in November of that year in New Zealand. Williams said that, in hindsight, he would have liked to leave on a high after the JBWere Masters win, as opposed to how things took place.

"I think everything you do in life, you’d like to go out on a high as opposed to a low. Looking back, perhaps after Tiger competed down here in Australia at the Australian Masters, it was a very memorable win. I really enjoyed that tournament. That was the last event he played before all the events transpired. Perhaps I should have, you know, left him then."

When Bensinger asked Williams if that thought crossed his mind when the duo won in Australia, Williams replied that he had no idea things would take such a bad turn.

"I didn't know what was gonna happen. I didn’t know all that was going to happen, obviously. I didn’t know what was about to unfold. Looking back, my gut feeling at some time said that was a good way to finish."

Tiger Woods made his comeback at the 2010 Masters. His partnership with Steve Williams was renowned and reaped him several titles over a decade.

However, according to Williams, they couldn't click when Woods returned to Augusta after his cheating scandal.

"When we got back together at Augusta, we certainly didn’t click like we used to."

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Why did Tiger Woods fire Steve Williams?

Steve Williams and Tiger Woods at the US Open - Round One (Image via Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

Tiger Woods and Steve Williams had cemented their names as an iconic golfer-caddie duo with a partnership of over ten years.

Williams was at Woods' bag for an impressive 13 major tournament wins. The veteran caddie was also known for protecting Woods from the media and the public. He even notoriously threw away a spectator's camera in a pond for taking Woods' picture during a backswing.

However, that perfect image broke when they announced that they would be parting ways. The news came as a shock not only to the fans but also to Williams himself.

Although their equation had soured after the entire cheating scandal, they still remained together. When Woods was on a break, Williams played caddie to Australian golfer Adam Scott for the US Open. The decision probably didn't sit well with Woods as he fired Williams shortly after.

According to Williams, he had asked Woods about temporarily caddying for Scott, and the golfer had initially agreed to it. However, he later changed his mind:

"Adam [Scott] heard Tiger Woods pulled out and wondered where I was. I phoned Tiger about it, and he said, 'No problem.' After some thought, though, he didn’t agree with it. Tiger changed his mind. Well, I’d already told Adam I would be there."

This put Williams in a tough spot, as he had already given his confirmation to Adam Scott. He also added that he wanted to work as he hadn't in a while.

"I wasn’t prepared to ring Adam [Scott] up and say I can’t do it. I’m a man of my word. I had no idea I was going to get fired over it. I also hadn’t worked a lot. Not that I needed the money, but I wanted to work. I was told [by Tiger] after US Open that I no longer had a job, and it’s as simple as that."

Williams wouldn't be the only one blindsided by Tiger Woods, as his fallouts with ex-wife Elin Nordegren and former swing coach Butch Harmon have been notorious at the least.

Steve Williams worked with Adam Scott till 2017 and is currently at the bag of Jason Day since 2019. He also worked with US LPGA golfer Danielle Kang in 2017. Tiger Woods now works with experienced caddie Joe La Cava.