Tiger Woods is known for his superstitious rituals that he meticulously follows. One such iconic story came through at the Tee It Up podcast, where the co-author of ‘Together We Roared’, Evin Priest, shared a fun little memory from the St. Andrews Old Course. Sharing the story of a good luck charm that Woods clutched with his life, Priest took fans inside the mind of the golfing legend.
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Steve Williams, Tiger Woods’ caddie and co-author, shared the story from the 2000 Open Championship at St. Andrews to Priest. On the first hole of round 1, Woods picked up some wooden tees. However, Woods hit a punch iron in his first shot without using a tee. Flipping it around in his second shot, Woods hit a driver pairing that with a wooden tee, which had ‘2000 Open Championship’ engraved on it. Surprisingly, the wooden tee didn’t break. Usually, golfers go through multiple tees in the same round, since they break apart when hit with a particularly strong shot. This unusual incident didn’t escape Woods’ eyes.
“He gets to the second hole and he hits I think a driver and he teed it up with a little wooden tee, a white wooden tee that said ‘2000 Open Championship,’ and he didn’t break it and he thought, oh that’s a good luck charm, I’ll use it on the third hole. So he used it on the third hole and he didn’t break the wooden tee for the entire tournament,” Priest told on the podcast. The tee withstood Woods’ swings for the entire tournament, making it feel special. Woods couldn’t help but consider it to be a “good luck charm.”
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“By the end of the tournament, it was still intact. So he kept that as a good luck charm, put it in his golf bag.” Quoting Woods, Priest revealed his exchange with his caddie, Steve Williams. “This is my good luck charm. Make sure you know where this is at all times and this is to stay in my bag at all times.” Turns out, even the elitest of golfers had their charms to get them through tournaments.
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The funniest thing, however, is the way Woods would react when they failed to find the lucky tee. “If sometimes if they couldn’t find that, Tiger would freak out a little 39:11 bit and go, ‘Where the [ __ ] is it?’” Priest quipped. The tee wasn’t just another golfing equipment anymore. It had become a crucial part of his mental routine before matches, acting as a psychological anchor. Coupled with Woods’ rigorous sense of ritualistic practices, even the slightest changes like losing his lucky tee added anxiety. However, Woods’ talents thrived beyond these superstitions.
Woods was an extremely technical golfer who studied golf meticulously. And his caddie, Steve Williams, did much more than take care of his lucky charm. From reading the greens to maintaining Woods’ mental crutch, Williams’ influence on Woods’ game is undeniable.
The role of Tiger Woods’ caddie in his success
From the same event that inspired Woods’ lucky charm story, it also highlights Williams’ role in his incredible prowess. With Woods’ win at St. Andrews, the golfing phenom completed his career slam. Digging further, Priest shared how Williams brought about that win. He shared that the caddie had travelled to the course a whole week before the event even started. That provided him with the opportunity to study the course in advance.
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“Steve stayed in the University of St. Andrew’s dorm rooms and just walked out every morning at 4:00 or 5 in the morning and just sat there mapping every mound, every hump and hollow, every one of the 112 bunkers at St. Andrews,” Priest shared in the podcast. The caddie came up with a detailed plan for every shot in different wind conditions. This early and meticulous preparation allowed Williams to anticipate every challenge the Old Course could throw at Woods, giving Tiger multiple options for each tee shot and approach.
This behind-the-scenes work underscores the critical role of a caddie in elite golf. Moreover, it highlights how careful planning and teamwork amplify a player’s natural talent. Woods’ success was as much about his own talent and skill as it was about the unwavering support of Williams, whether that’s carrying a lucky charm or mapping the bunkers.
