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Steve Williams welcome to the Dom havy
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podcast yeah good to be here and you're
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wearing you walked up just before you're
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wearing shorts I would expect nothing
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less um I've been researching you in the
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past week or so and everyone talks about
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how little clothing you like to wear
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yeah well I don't wear long pants for
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one um but
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um I guess way back when it first
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started um Greg Norman's kids used to
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nickname me the polar bear because I
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never ever ever wore a jumper or a
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jacket so um yeah when I was counting I
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just you know I don't know I think I
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think when you concentrate pretty hard
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you don't even know whether it's raining
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or what it's wind you but
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uh I guess it's just the hab I've got
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into yeah and is it true the last time
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you saw Tiger Woods he made a comment
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about good to see you still wearing no
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pants yeah so um well I I C this year at
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the LA open and um I had to go to the
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hotel to meet Adam um he was staying at
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the same hotel as tiger and I and I I
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walked up to the the driveway to the
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hotel was a pretty cold was in February
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so it was a cold night and whatever and
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that and tiger walks out of the hotel
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and he's got a big jacket on and beanie
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and so forth and I'm I'm and shorts and
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a t-shirt and he just said just some
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things haven't changed I love that jez
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we've gone straight into it but I I
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should do some sort of an intro um Steve
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Williams for anyone that doesn't know is
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the goat when it comes to golf cting I
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think in every sport you know the the
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ter goat gets thrown around like if
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you're talking basketball you can have
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debates about Jordan Kobe um LeBron
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whoever but I think when it comes to
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golf cading like there's no question
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about it right you are the depending on
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what measure you look at most most major
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one most tournaments won uh most years
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on the bag at number one most income
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whatever Miz you want to look at you're
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the goat yeah I mean look I'm very
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fortunate to have worked in a field that
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I love doing and I've been very
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fortunate to work for good players so
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you know good players win tournaments um
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it's very hard to measure the success of
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a caddy because there could be some
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great caddy that's cting for a player
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that doesn't perform well or never has
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performed well so he probably might not
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get the recognition I've been very
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fortunate to carry for guys that win
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tournaments and um and win Majors so
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yeah pretty fortunate I noticed just in
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that answer there you um you said um
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worked for twice why um what's the
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difference between working for and
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working with yep
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oh
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yeah
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than yeah um what would you say is the
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difference between working for and
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working with
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someone um yeah I I guess when you say
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you're working for someone you're
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referring to you know it's not long term
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because in the in the world of cting
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nothing's ever long term um we consider
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5 years on one player's bag a
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considerable amount of time I I I guess
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that's you know when you're working with
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you know that's more of a longterm kind
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of thing but yeah as a cting is a
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fiveyear well we all in in our industry
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we consider if you work for some one
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player for five years or longer that's
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considered a lengthy period so I've had
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four players of 10 years plus so yeah
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you're a long-term relationship guy yeah
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no because it's like I understand um
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work for as an as an you the golfer is
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the boss and they could get rid of you
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at any moment but work you look at you
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and tiger like I've watched a whole lot
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of over the last week knowing that you
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were coming in and um it was a
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partnership yeah no I think we had a
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bond probably closer than any of the
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other players I'd carried for um
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certainly because you know obviously I
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was considerably older than tiger and
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you know we we struck a relationship
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where we both had you know the same kind
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of attitude towards see the same kind of
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hard work dedication whatever you want
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to call it we we we just struck a bond
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that probably I haven't struck with any
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other player so yeah we became very very
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tight for sure yeah it was it was like a
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the You Know Two Worlds colliding at the
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perfect time really wasn't it yeah
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because this footage I've looked at it's
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like you didn't look like any other
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caddy he didn't look like any other
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golfer like you were the you were the
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two fittest people on any Fairway yeah
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yeah well I mean you know it was
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interesting when I went to work for
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Tiger um you know I I've actively kept
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myself fit C him because you've got to
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be was the amount of travel you do and
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that and I love my running always have
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and swimming and so forth but when I
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went to work for him he brought a whole
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new meaning to the word Fitness to me
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and um yeah so um but yeah he one of his
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great beliefs is that you know the
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fitter you are the better the mind works
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and the better the Mind work the better
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success you had so
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um there's a lot of Truth to that I
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guess 100% okay um so for for me and
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probably a lot of people listening to
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this or watching this what is the role
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of a caddy very hard role to explain um
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particularly when you try and tell
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someone that plays golf let alone
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someone that doesn't play golf but I
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mean everybody understand understands
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that a caddy um provides all the
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information for the player and when I
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mean the information you know all the
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distances required where the flag the
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whole location is on the green wind
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conditions anything to do with playing
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the golf course but but that's that's
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just the the easiest part of the job uh
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a cadd is like an OnCourse psychologist
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uh part caddy part coach a lot of the
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times um and you know you're there to
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you know you both share an opinion so
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you know
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you help that you advise the player on
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what to do um you know you make a game
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plan with the player it's quite a a
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caddy wears many rolls many hats it's
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hard to exactly explain but basically
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you know you you guide the player around
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the course and you make a lot of
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decisions based on how he's playing how
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he warmed up that day and so forth but
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um the most difficult part of a Caddy's
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job is when a players not playing well
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you've got to somehow get them out of
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that funk whether it could be something
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to do with their technical stuff you
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know or something to do with their
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mental stuff and you've got to be very
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alert to that and be able to quickly
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change things because um not every you
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know golf's a an unusual game because
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every day is different the conditions
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are different every day the players is
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different every day they feel different
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every day every day is different you
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know some sports you
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know most sports are reactive Sports you
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you what you do is reactive on somebody
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else but golf you're hitting a
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stationary object there's a a lot goes
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into it so but yeah know basically you
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know you got you're there to advise
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player but also you've got to be what
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what makes a good CAD is that someone um
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that has the ability to override a
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player's decision and convince them that
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the cad is right because you know that's
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just what you do you're you're employed
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to you know know that game that guy's or
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girls game inside out so it's quite a
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complex job that's a that's a lot of
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pressure speaking up overriding a
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players's decision hey you're putting
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your nuts on the line really yep and
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that's um probably where my successes
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come from because I I I've had no
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problem in major moments in big golf
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tours to override a player and convince
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and I'm right and probably when I I go
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back to the very first year I care for
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Tiger obviously when I met tiger um he
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was instrumental in telling me what his
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goals were obviously his biggest Focus
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his biggest goal was to break Jack
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Nicholas's record of 18 Majors he wanted
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to get to 19 and and surpass Jack um and
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um he he
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you that was his big goal so in the very
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first year I came from I could feel the
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stress already in these major
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championships with him because he wasn't
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playing that well and then in and I
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joined him in 1999 the last major year
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at the PJ championship at Madina um he
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had a chance to win that tournament we
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got to the 16th oh it's a path three and
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he had a like a six foot putt there and
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he said Steve can you read this one and
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I and he said I think think it's outside
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the whole left side and I said no it's
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inside the whole tiger and I was firm
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and committed that that's how I saw
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that's what I thought and he hit the put
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and hold that part and that was the
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moment like where that trust for the
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next 13 years was was you know that's
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where it's in instigated you know cuz if
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I was wrong you that you know like when
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a player wins his he won his first major
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but trying to win the second major is
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more difficult than the first one um and
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you know you could look now like Rory
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mck he hasn't won a major for you know
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quite considerable time it's like him
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trying to win his next one it's very
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difficult so when tiger won the Masters
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uh sorry the PJ on in 99 that sort of
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that was a stepping stone to our success
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for sure because what what what if you
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were right about that part and he he
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[ __ ] up the shot yeah well I mean yeah
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exactly you don't know so that's the
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case but mean he you know he hit the
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perfect he exactly where I said and it
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went in you know if he had to hit it
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where he thought outside the hole um you
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know he wouldn't have won the won the
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PGA so but that's you know he he he
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loved that moment that I I overrode what
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he said and said him I'm 100% confident
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that this p is inside the hole and he
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hold it and uh yeah how good yeah yeah
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that was that was you tell that story
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like it was just yesterday yeah well
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I've had you know there's three or four
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defining moments obviously you know I
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think the one that's became very evident
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was when I when Adam Scott won the
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Masters in 2013 in the playoff hole um
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you know we got there on the second
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playoff hole it was rainy and dark and
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so forth anyway um when we walking up to
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the
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green I knew well I didn't I was going
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to tell him I was going to read the putt
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whether he asked me or not because I
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knew that he wouldn't know how much this
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putt broke because I knew he would never
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had this putt um and AD austa the second
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hole the playoff was the 10th hole and
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the pin on the Sundays there is always
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in the back part of the green that but
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when you play there you always hit to
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the middle of the green cuz if you go
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over the green you can't get up and down
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there you can make five six whatever
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anyway so we got up there and he said oh
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Steve can you read the Putt and
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everything and you he read the Putt and
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he said I think it's a cup out you know
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one hole out to the right and my exact
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works that that isn't even [ __ ] close
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Adam it's two and a half cups so he
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under that putt by a cup and a half and
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of course he h the putt um and you know
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won the Masters so yeah that was a you
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know like an amazing moment because he's
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a guy that's desperate to win his first
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major but also desperate to become the
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first Australian to put on the green
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jacket and the most amazing thing about
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that is the very first phone call uh
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after I've spoken to my lovely wife um
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that I got when I was driving back to
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the house was Greg Norman and he exactly
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read my lips of what I said and the the
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iconic thing about it is that I remember
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that part Greg had it one year it's the
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only other time I that that someone i'
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KY for had that putt on the 10th hole
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pin High to the right because you're
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always putting straight up the hill
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because that's where you're supposed to
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play the hole so that's how you you knew
00:11:07
that whole intimately yeah and that was
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that was going back into the 80s so this
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was 2013 and I had a memory I think with
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my you know I don't know it was in the
00:11:14
80s that's so that's how long I'd
00:11:16
remember that part broke more than it
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looks amazing amazing I was going to get
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to the um the Adam Scott stuff but since
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since we're there now I do want to ask
00:11:23
you about that because um after that
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tournament that he won uh you you made a
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comment which was seen as controversial
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at the time you said uh something like
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this this this means more to me than any
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other major and a lot of people saw that
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as a dig at Tiger I I personally didn't
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I I knew exactly what you meant like you
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knew how big it was going to be for
00:11:42
Australia you know how big it was for
00:11:45
Adam Scott um I mean [ __ ] here in New
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Zealand we're still talking about Bob
00:11:48
Charles winning the British Open 70
00:11:50
years ago or whatever um but yeah did
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you sort of feel the heat of that
00:11:54
comment oh look I mean not that you give
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a [ __ ] no it's it's not so much that but
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like you know at at the PO you know in
00:12:01
that particular moment and that in the
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excitement of what's going on and the
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thrill of winning the Masters especially
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knowing that he's the first Australian
00:12:09
to winner and I'd been on Greg Norman's
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bag a couple of times as a major
00:12:13
heartbreak on the 18th hold austa and
00:12:16
you know no Australians won that tour I
00:12:18
just know what it means to you know at
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the time I said it and you know look it
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be it' certainly be my top two you know
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I said it at the time was my top one but
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it was to too so but um hey look I mean
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you know the media love to to to add
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their twist or anything you know I I
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understand how that works yeah no I I
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knew exactly what you meant but uh yeah
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yeah yeah um okay let's get back to the
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early years so um where are you from
00:12:44
you're from P umu correct yeah yeah yeah
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yeah so um famous golf course there
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actually were you part of the reason
00:12:50
that tiger came for the NZ open that
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year yeah absolutely so um each time
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that I've carried for a player and and
00:12:58
you know you negotiate a contract or
00:13:01
however you going to do and I always say
00:13:02
them if you win a major you got to come
00:13:04
and play in the New Zealand open and I
00:13:06
said that to Tiger the very first day
00:13:08
that I met him and we just not met him
00:13:09
but the first time that we sat down and
00:13:11
discussed counting for him I said that
00:13:12
to him and after he won the uh the major
00:13:16
that was the first thing he said when
00:13:17
when I playing in the New Zealand open
00:13:18
so I you know hats off to the guy like
00:13:21
you know straight away for honoring that
00:13:23
commitment so that was pretty you pretty
00:13:25
impressive yeah so so what did the early
00:13:27
years look like you you used to C for
00:13:29
your dad and his mates yeah like I mean
00:13:32
not not like I'm see at that age it's
00:13:33
not what age are we talking I I I've Ked
00:13:36
at the golf club at P umu since I was
00:13:38
about seven years old so it's just
00:13:39
carrying a bag though isn't it not
00:13:41
really Cy yeah um but but even amazingly
00:13:44
I had some kind of knck for it because a
00:13:46
lot of the players at the golf
00:13:50
course from memory it's hard to think
00:13:52
that long ago but I you know I think we
00:13:55
as Cades at the golf course we were
00:13:57
getting $2 a round and there were
00:13:59
several members that would pay me $5 a
00:14:01
round because they wanted me to carry
00:14:03
for them I had a bit of a knack for
00:14:05
being a to judge distances and select
00:14:08
clubs and so forth um without actually
00:14:11
knowing exactly how far it was um you
00:14:13
know there was no such thing as a like
00:14:15
we use range finders now or any kind of
00:14:17
measuring device it was just all done by
00:14:19
feel and I had a very good feel it just
00:14:22
something I had aack for and you know
00:14:25
through time that $5 became $10 that $10
00:14:28
became $20 and you know I C the growth
00:14:31
was exponential later on yeah and I CED
00:14:34
at the golf course every weekend um 36
00:14:37
holes you know every Saturday every
00:14:39
Sunday and and I just I I played golf as
00:14:42
a kid and uh but I enjoyed cting just as
00:14:45
much and then you know obviously I had
00:14:46
the opportunity uh 1976 to cat for Peter
00:14:50
Thompson um at the New Zealand open at
00:14:53
Hera my father organized that because he
00:14:55
knew Peter he' played in the Celtics
00:14:57
tournament at pumu a couple of times and
00:14:59
he had met Peter Thompson and um he
00:15:01
asked Peter my son loves to C he's only
00:15:04
13 years of age could he C for New
00:15:06
Zealand open Peter said yeah now I
00:15:08
wasn't familiar with this name I feel
00:15:09
very naive about this but he's he's won
00:15:11
the British Open five times Peter th
00:15:13
Peter Thompson he's a big deal yeah oh
00:15:15
yeah he he was a guy that came to New
00:15:18
Zealand frequently you know Bob Charles
00:15:21
Kell Nagel Peter Thompson you know they
00:15:23
were the big three players from austral
00:15:24
Asia all major Champions and Peter
00:15:27
five-time major champion and he won the
00:15:29
New Zealand open like nine times um you
00:15:31
know one of the greatest ever players
00:15:33
out of Australia well I mean you
00:15:35
arguably he's got five majes you could
00:15:37
say he is the greatest um player out of
00:15:40
Australia so I got the chance to car him
00:15:43
it's this is a dead true story and um he
00:15:46
played in the New Zealand open and he
00:15:49
finished third in the
00:15:50
tournament and he was quite astounded at
00:15:53
my ability for someone that never had
00:15:55
carried an Ator before to judge
00:15:57
distances and so so forth at the
00:16:00
completion of the tournament he gave me
00:16:01
$150 which was like you know I was
00:16:05
working what you was just late 70s early
00:16:07
76 okay [ __ ] and that was like handing
00:16:11
someone a million dollars today I I was
00:16:13
just I couldn't believe it and and on
00:16:15
top of that he gave me like 50 golf
00:16:17
balls all the golf balls that he'd used
00:16:19
during the week and his practice balls
00:16:21
and and and they were balls that you
00:16:23
know you couldn't get as a kid here they
00:16:25
were very expensive or or or you
00:16:26
couldn't get them so right there and
00:16:29
then I said I want to be a golf KY that
00:16:31
that's what I want to do I want to be a
00:16:32
golf KY I knew nothing about how you
00:16:34
make a living as a golf Gaddy but I said
00:16:36
this this is what I want to do and and
00:16:38
that's how that's how the ball got
00:16:40
rolling amazing um do you know the um
00:16:42
the Malcolm Gladwell 10,000 hour Theory
00:16:45
are you familiar with that yeah
00:16:46
absolutely I am my my son is very
00:16:49
familiar with that he's told me all
00:16:50
about that as far as um because what
00:16:52
what he does but yeah I am familiar with
00:16:54
that yeah because you started so young I
00:16:55
suppose you you you got your 10,000
00:16:57
hours under your belt at a you're young
00:16:59
age yeah yeah no look I just loved cting
00:17:01
had a knack for it and um yeah did it my
00:17:04
whole life yeah so what what else were
00:17:06
you were you went as a kid where did the
00:17:08
Motorsport thing come from there's not a
00:17:09
huge Motorsport community in Pat is it
00:17:12
no we used to go uh my brother and my
00:17:14
father and I used to go every Saturday
00:17:16
night over to t- Maru uh and watch the
00:17:19
speedway in taru we it's just something
00:17:21
we went and did uh my father loved the
00:17:23
the solo Riders and and back then you
00:17:25
know we we had the likes of Barry Briggs
00:17:27
ronning more and Ivan major all world
00:17:29
champions in their own right and that
00:17:30
and they used to ride quite frequently
00:17:33
over the summer at te Speedway against a
00:17:35
lot of overseas Riders and we used to
00:17:37
love that and um you know I just used to
00:17:39
love going to Speedway and I kept going
00:17:41
to Speedway the rest of you know
00:17:43
whenever i' when I started my journey as
00:17:45
a cad I'd come back to New Zealand over
00:17:47
the summer I'd always go to the speedway
00:17:48
and you know just decided to take it up
00:17:51
yeah I love to Le about you just the the
00:17:54
juer position between the world's best
00:17:55
caddy and then he's coming home and
00:17:57
racing these midet cars or whatever and
00:17:59
you're wandering around these um
00:18:01
illustrious golf course courses with the
00:18:03
Valene logo on your what is valine like
00:18:05
an oil or something yeah yeah I've been
00:18:08
very fortunate to have a longtime car
00:18:10
sponsor in velvin and then I became like
00:18:12
a brand ambassador with Vine in the
00:18:15
states when I was cing for Tiger so i'
00:18:16
had a long relationship with Valene but
00:18:18
it's I me it's a logo that you'd
00:18:19
associate associate I guess more with
00:18:21
like Nascar or something than peble
00:18:23
Beach yeah yeah yeah yeah no I always
00:18:25
had a lot of jokes about that yeah so um
00:18:27
and then so Peter Thompson and then was
00:18:29
it Greg Norman after Peter Thompson yeah
00:18:31
well I you know carried for Peter I was
00:18:33
only at school when I was caring for
00:18:35
Peter so I'd carried from when he when
00:18:37
he came over to New Zealand and then I
00:18:39
did actually go to Australia and C from
00:18:41
uh and one one or two tours uh then I
00:18:44
started catting the soon as I turned was
00:18:47
old enough to leave school at 15 I went
00:18:49
over to the European tour and um I don't
00:18:54
remember a lot of my early days but the
00:18:57
one thing I can remember so clearly now
00:19:00
is uh having only ever stepped out of
00:19:02
Wellington walk airport to get out of
00:19:04
London and Heathrow Airport at 15 years
00:19:06
of age it's like that was just
00:19:08
mindblowing um you know there's more
00:19:11
people at the airport than what there is
00:19:12
in New Zealand yeah I'll never forget
00:19:14
that moment thinking jesz this is pretty
00:19:16
intimidating you know I managed to get
00:19:19
on on a train uh to where I was heading
00:19:21
to into London up on a train I believe
00:19:23
the first tour was in leads and I
00:19:24
carried it was a tournament called The
00:19:25
Car Care International uh I did have a
00:19:28
job jacked up I went there like without
00:19:31
a job and um I got onto an English
00:19:34
player um his name was Michael King and
00:19:38
um yeah I C for him for a couple of
00:19:40
torns and you know just at the start
00:19:42
there wasn't a lot of professional
00:19:44
caddies um that would go to Every
00:19:46
tournament um so it was easy getting
00:19:48
work and um yeah I started off and I K
00:19:51
for Baker Finch for a little bit and
00:19:53
then um one summer in Australia Ian was
00:19:56
paed with Greg Norman at the Australian
00:19:57
Open and um following the tourament Greg
00:19:59
rang me up um back in New Zealand and
00:20:03
said hey I like what what I saw when you
00:20:05
counting for in would you come and KY
00:20:06
for me at the start of the year in
00:20:08
Australia and he played and they had a
00:20:09
handful of tournaments at the start of
00:20:10
the year in Australia Australian Masters
00:20:12
the Victorian
00:20:13
open um and yeah one thing led to
00:20:17
another and I ended up going to car for
00:20:18
Greg Norman and then yeah then that's
00:20:21
just that's just how it got rolling yeah
00:20:23
yeah Greg Greg Norman um phenomenal
00:20:25
golfer phenomenal even more phenomenal
00:20:27
business perhaps the great white shark
00:20:29
massive massive brand um yeah what was
00:20:32
what was that like what are your
00:20:33
Recollections of that time yeah I was he
00:20:36
he was the most demanding player of
00:20:37
every C for and probably yeah absolutely
00:20:40
and probably one of the most demanding
00:20:42
players ever on on any c because all the
00:20:46
not all not that he had a lot of CES but
00:20:47
the guys that did cave from um he he was
00:20:49
very demanding um that's just his nature
00:20:52
I mean he was completely different guy
00:20:55
off the golf course to what he was on
00:20:56
the golf course um um but um catting for
00:21:01
him was absolutely fantastic and the
00:21:03
fact that he knew that I was a young
00:21:05
bloke and he took me on my wing and
00:21:07
actually taught me a lot about the game
00:21:09
uh as far as you know the shots of the
00:21:11
pros trying to play and so forth so I I
00:21:15
had a very good understanding of what's
00:21:18
required which he taught me and in
00:21:20
today's world I don't think a player
00:21:21
would take a guy under their wing and
00:21:24
actually explain to them you know what
00:21:26
not at that level eh no not that level
00:21:28
so I had a great understanding and
00:21:30
amazingly that understanding you know I
00:21:33
was able to take that understanding on
00:21:36
for the other players I'd car for even
00:21:38
you know tiger in particular and say you
00:21:40
know this is what Greg used to say to me
00:21:42
and this is what Greg would say here and
00:21:44
so forth so it was yeah was good Greg
00:21:46
was great to car for very demanding um
00:21:49
but uh on the same token we you know we
00:21:52
stayed friends for a long time yeah well
00:21:53
you mentioned earlier that he he text
00:21:55
you after the Adam Scott win so you're
00:21:56
still in touch yeah yeah you know
00:21:58
obviously he's running the live tour now
00:22:00
and I've not mentioned it one time since
00:22:03
we're spoken because you know I know
00:22:04
he's obviously he's probably been well
00:22:07
not probably he's been bombarded over
00:22:09
the his time run oh yeah what's the
00:22:11
what's the live tour for anyone that
00:22:12
doesn't that's the is it Saudi Arabia
00:22:15
tournament and and the golfers that have
00:22:16
defected and gone there got paid like
00:22:19
excruciatingly large sums of money yeah
00:22:22
I mean is is that in in a nutshell in a
00:22:24
nutshell yeah it's a different concept
00:22:26
they've been paid extraord amounts of
00:22:28
money uh and there's been a lot of
00:22:30
controversy over it because those
00:22:31
players that have defected to the lior
00:22:33
don't get any world ranking points so
00:22:35
they're world ranking every week their
00:22:37
world ranking slides down um it's a
00:22:41
different it's 54 hole tournaments um so
00:22:44
there's no cut there a there's only 48
00:22:46
players they have a team element but um
00:22:49
yeah it's caused a lot of conflict in
00:22:52
the game but um but probably for I think
00:22:55
in the long run it's going to be going
00:22:56
to be great for the game provided a
00:22:58
different playing field and different
00:23:01
atmosphere for tourament and gives fans
00:23:02
a different option yeah were you with
00:23:04
Greg Norman that year that he um
00:23:06
famously choked at the Masters no I what
00:23:09
year was that was that like 97 no no uh
00:23:12
yeah
00:23:14
9 yeah I was caring for Ray Floyd at the
00:23:17
time um but that was as a as a mate of
00:23:20
his and a former employee that must have
00:23:21
been excruciating to watch it well it
00:23:23
was interesting because yeah um I was
00:23:27
staying in a house
00:23:28
uh Fanny sunon longtime Cy for Nick
00:23:31
feldo and I were friends and we were
00:23:34
staying we shared the same hat house at
00:23:36
Augusta for 20 something years and she
00:23:40
was cting for Greg uh sorry for Nick
00:23:43
and you know Greg had that big lead on
00:23:46
the Sunday and and when we left the
00:23:47
house I said good luck but you're not
00:23:49
going to be able to get there today she
00:23:50
says nickel win this from something like
00:23:54
seven shots behind correct yeah so no
00:23:56
that was uh yeah that was was
00:23:59
heartbreaking yeah and at the end of the
00:24:02
tournament I actually flew back to
00:24:03
Florida with Greg that night
00:24:07
um and we sat on the
00:24:10
beach um he tried to he he wanted me to
00:24:13
come back to catd for him and we sat on
00:24:15
the beach and yeah it was it was pretty
00:24:18
hard to see a gr man cry um yeah he he
00:24:21
he was broken after that tour yeah I
00:24:23
mean seven shot lead um instead of you
00:24:27
know the big mistake he made was like
00:24:29
when tiger had a seven shot lead he'd
00:24:31
Tred to make it an eight shot lead make
00:24:32
it make it you know Greg Greg played so
00:24:36
defensive that day and you know Greg's
00:24:39
great motto when he signs an autograph
00:24:41
Greg Norman attack life that was his
00:24:43
thing attack life and he didn't attack
00:24:45
the golf course that day and I mean if
00:24:47
he hadn't played in his normal way he
00:24:49
would have no way he would have gotten
00:24:50
beaten but he played very conservative
00:24:52
and sometimes when you play conservative
00:24:54
it doesn't happen um yeah what was the
00:24:56
mood like on the on the the private jet
00:24:59
um there was no
00:25:01
conversation there was none but uh we
00:25:03
got back to his house um grabbed an esy
00:25:06
full of beers went down to the beach and
00:25:08
yeah we we we he went over the whole
00:25:10
thing but it was heartbreaking heart
00:25:14
heartwrenching to yeah I wonder how long
00:25:15
it took him to I've had um other people
00:25:18
on the uh the podcast like Shane Cameron
00:25:20
and Shane talked about the fight with
00:25:21
David tour where he got smoked and he
00:25:23
said it took him he reckons about seven
00:25:25
years before he realized oh I Haven
00:25:27
thought about this all day today so for
00:25:29
something like that with Greg you wonder
00:25:30
how long it was before he uh sort of
00:25:32
managed to put it behind him yeah I mean
00:25:34
I that's a very good question I me I I
00:25:37
don't think he'd ever put that behind
00:25:38
him I mean it's he wanted to win that
00:25:41
tourament you he won the British Open a
00:25:42
couple of times came well he he was
00:25:44
running up in all Maes and um he like
00:25:48
all Australians he wanted to win that
00:25:49
Tor more than any other of them so he he
00:25:52
would still think about that today
00:25:53
there's no question he wouldn't yeah do
00:25:55
you think the result could have been
00:25:56
different if you were on his bag that
00:25:57
day
00:25:59
yeah I mean well I am the goat yeah well
00:26:01
I mean well well in terms like you
00:26:04
mentioned before the role of a caddy and
00:26:05
you talked about the psychologist um
00:26:07
aspect of it so I think with those S of
00:26:09
skills and experience yeah I mean it's a
00:26:12
hard one to quantify but um you know his
00:26:16
you know as soon as that tournament
00:26:18
finished he was on the phone to me I
00:26:20
mean he obviously had would had a
00:26:21
thousand things gone through his head
00:26:23
then he on had the phone me Steve get on
00:26:24
my plane we're going back to West Palm
00:26:26
Beach I need to chat to you course I
00:26:27
knew what it was going to be about um
00:26:30
but I would have loved to gone back to
00:26:31
work for him um but I always you know
00:26:35
loyalty is a big thing in that so I I um
00:26:38
was cting for Ray Floyd at the time
00:26:40
things were going good and I was enjoy
00:26:41
and you know he he was good to me and I
00:26:43
didn't want to say on you I'm going back
00:26:44
to c MC Greg that's so yeah that's um
00:26:47
it's an interesting point he like it it
00:26:49
does demonstrate I think um a huge
00:26:52
growth mindset like the fact that yeah
00:26:54
the day he had the worst tournament
00:26:56
potentially at worst closing round of
00:26:58
his life um instead of just licking his
00:27:00
wounds he's thinking about okay how can
00:27:02
I get better next time by trying to
00:27:04
recruit you it's um it's a fascinating
00:27:06
Insight isn't it yeah yeah yeah I mean
00:27:08
look yeah he he obviously thought you
00:27:11
know he was going to okay I've let that
00:27:13
slip I'm going to give I'll have another
00:27:15
opportunity of that I want to do that
00:27:16
you know because he loved the course he
00:27:18
had he played well frequently there um
00:27:21
you know he had two runner-up finishes
00:27:23
in the years that I was caring for him
00:27:25
um but yeah so but didn't eventuate that
00:27:28
I didn't go back but um yeah it's a it
00:27:30
was a it was a heartbreaking one to
00:27:32
watch I saw a photo of him online the
00:27:34
the other day he's in a 70s he's still
00:27:36
ripped he ripped as [ __ ] yeah he he he
00:27:39
he uh he's worked out his whole life um
00:27:42
you know he's he's pounded the gym and
00:27:44
he's fit as can be and um yeah look he's
00:27:46
a great character yeah so who who's Ray
00:27:49
Floyd I don't know much about Ray Floyd
00:27:50
so um Greg then Ray and then tiger so I
00:27:53
went on to Ray Floyd an American player
00:27:57
um yeah a four-time major winner just
00:27:59
one of the top American players and that
00:28:01
and I went to K for him um from 1989 to
00:28:05
99 um had a good run with him he had a
00:28:08
couple of close calls at
00:28:10
Augusta um and it was during that time
00:28:14
you know I C for 40 plus years I only
00:28:16
ever had one regret as a caddy which is
00:28:19
you know quite remarkable that you only
00:28:21
have one regret
00:28:22
but Ray had the opportunity in 1992 to
00:28:25
be the oldest player to win at Augusta
00:28:28
um at 50 years of age he' already won um
00:28:31
at derell previously just a month or so
00:28:34
before become the second oldest player
00:28:36
to win behind Sam Sneed on the PJ tour
00:28:40
and he had a chance at austa uh with
00:28:43
Nick falo and we got to the 17th hole he
00:28:47
needed to finish 4-4 to win the
00:28:49
tournament and the green there's
00:28:51
different to it is now but basically it
00:28:53
was a two-tiered green with a one the
00:28:55
right side was lower than the than the
00:28:57
left side of the green and the pin was
00:28:59
on the front right hand side of the
00:29:01
green and he said to me on a second shot
00:29:03
he had a nine IR in his hand he said I'm
00:29:05
just going to hit it at the slope and
00:29:07
and fade it off the slope and the first
00:29:09
thing that came into my head is what if
00:29:10
you hit it at the slope and you don't
00:29:12
fade it and maybe you pull it a little
00:29:13
bit and if you and then that with that
00:29:15
particular hole location was if you left
00:29:17
your ball up on the top side of the ho
00:29:19
of the green you couldn't tart too quick
00:29:21
you put it off the green and I the first
00:29:23
thing that came to my head is no you
00:29:25
want to hit it straight at the flag so
00:29:26
that if you pull it you're okay and if
00:29:28
you push it you're off the green he's
00:29:29
the best chipper in the world end of
00:29:31
story I didn't say that it's the only
00:29:33
time I can recall something that came to
00:29:35
my head and I didn't say it and what did
00:29:38
he do he hit it on the left side pulled
00:29:40
it three parted lost you know lost in
00:29:41
the playoff to feldo so uh and we we we
00:29:44
joke all the time every year when
00:29:46
subsequent when we went back to gusta
00:29:48
all the years cting for Tiger then Adam
00:29:49
W I'd see Raymond all the time at
00:29:51
Augusta and he says if you had have
00:29:53
spoken up I would have had another green
00:29:55
jacket and I said oh you don't those
00:29:57
Green Jackets are ugly Ray you you don't
00:29:59
You' got one that's enough not your
00:30:01
color anyway so we we joked for years
00:30:03
about that yeah I think that goes to
00:30:05
show the the importance of um like
00:30:07
failure and mistakes he because it's
00:30:09
like you would have learned a valuable
00:30:10
lesson of that out of that incident out
00:30:12
of not speaking the mouth speak M well
00:30:14
it's like you know my reputation as a
00:30:16
cadd is that I always speak up and I'm
00:30:19
renowned for that and um it's the only
00:30:21
time that I never did you know when
00:30:25
something comes into your head there's a
00:30:26
reason why it comes into into your head
00:30:28
it's not it's just a spur of the moment
00:30:29
thought you know when the player was
00:30:31
explaining what he was going to do you
00:30:33
know you're thinking about it you you've
00:30:34
already thought about what sort of shot
00:30:36
he should hit and that and um yeah so
00:30:39
yeah but and and um you so you were King
00:30:43
for Ray Floyd when you first met tiger I
00:30:45
I I heard a story I don't know if it's
00:30:47
true you sort of fan boyed about and you
00:30:49
got an autograph yeah so um when um
00:30:53
tiger was an amateur uh he played a
00:30:56
couple of times with Ray at austa in the
00:30:59
Masters uh a lot of young guys would
00:31:00
come to Augusta and play when they
00:31:02
hadn't played there before and they'd
00:31:04
play a practice that they'd always ask
00:31:06
someone like Jack Nicholas or Raymond
00:31:08
Floyd or someone that's played the
00:31:09
course a lot and had a lot of success
00:31:10
here Raymond was a great guy at nuturing
00:31:13
young players and talk to them austa
00:31:14
there's a lot of local knowledge there
00:31:16
you can't find that local knowledge in
00:31:17
one week uh so tiger played with them a
00:31:20
couple times that's where I got to meet
00:31:21
him um and then so yeah then that's how
00:31:26
it came to be like in 1999 um I was
00:31:31
actually I was back in New Zealand and
00:31:33
tiger let us caddy go I didn't know
00:31:35
anything about it I don't really follow
00:31:37
golf too much when I'm at home and then
00:31:39
the first tourament uh that I was cting
00:31:41
was the following week that after tiger
00:31:43
Fighters CAD so I got to derell um in in
00:31:47
Miami and uh I get back to my hotel on
00:31:50
the Tuesday night in the phone rings it
00:31:51
was pretty late and um a guy on the end
00:31:55
of the phone says it's Tiger Wood say
00:31:57
here and uh I've got a friend of mine
00:31:59
that can impersonate tiger to a
00:32:01
te and I thought it was him and I said
00:32:04
Bob it's late I've just comeing from New
00:32:06
Zealand give me give me a ring tomorrow
00:32:08
I've five minutes later the phone rings
00:32:11
again same thing Tiger Woods here and I
00:32:14
said well for [ __ ] sake it's late you
00:32:15
know just give me a ring tomorrow M I'm
00:32:17
tired third time and I thought oh maybe
00:32:20
it's and and it was Tiger so he we you
00:32:23
know we laughed about that that many
00:32:25
times that you know it was him
00:32:27
uh he was asking um you know if I'd be
00:32:30
interested in catting for him so that I
00:32:32
was in Miami at the time he lived in
00:32:33
Orlando he wasn't playing in the tour
00:32:35
Miami and he lived in Orlando 4 hours up
00:32:37
the road that so at the completion of
00:32:39
that tourament on the Sunday I drove up
00:32:40
to Orlando and you sat down with tiger
00:32:43
and discuss what what uh what was going
00:32:45
to happen yeah yeah why you like you you
00:32:48
were very different to his his previous
00:32:49
C was that old guy um fluff mik Mike
00:32:52
Cowan correct yeah with big big warus
00:32:55
mustache and um yeah you're very
00:32:57
different to you like you were athletic
00:32:59
and yeah I mean tiger talked to several
00:33:02
people including Ray that I car for
00:33:04
Butch Haron um so he he he spoke to like
00:33:07
four people about who he should hire as
00:33:09
a caddy and every all four people that
00:33:12
he spoke to my name was synomous for the
00:33:14
four people so he you know and and you
00:33:16
know he he' we'd spoken several times
00:33:19
and that and we'd had a good laugh
00:33:20
during the practice rounds that we
00:33:22
played together and he he he's he he
00:33:27
said that he saw how serious I was in
00:33:30
those practice rounds when I was cting
00:33:31
when he was playing as an amateur in the
00:33:34
Masters in practice round was playing
00:33:35
with Rond he could see how serious I was
00:33:37
about it so that's how it came to be
00:33:39
yeah and you you didn't have to hesitate
00:33:41
to say yes was an astounding [ __ ] yes oh
00:33:44
actually oddly enough it wasn't because
00:33:46
it was 1999 and I I you know I'd
00:33:49
actually said to myself um that at the
00:33:51
end of that year or the end of 2000 that
00:33:54
that was going to be enough of cting I
00:33:55
was going to go and do something else
00:33:57
it's you know it's a gypsy lifestyle
00:33:58
you're traveling around the world
00:34:00
nonstop and you know I thought maybe I'd
00:34:02
go and do something else but um you know
00:34:05
I didn't say yes straight away but then
00:34:07
of course when I when I sat down and
00:34:09
spoke to him and and he went through
00:34:11
what his goals were and what his
00:34:13
aspirations were and so forth you know I
00:34:15
thought you know this is going to be a
00:34:16
pretty good ride if you know obviously
00:34:18
he was good but um you know he he he was
00:34:21
new to the tour and and you know came on
00:34:24
in a big hurry when he won the Masters
00:34:26
but sort of pet it off there for a
00:34:28
little bit so uh and and we always laugh
00:34:31
now too but the very first week I I C
00:34:34
from he he played pretty average and he
00:34:36
hit one of the worst shots I've ever
00:34:38
seen and and I and to this day we I tell
00:34:42
him how overrated he was we we joked
00:34:44
about it you know I mean your TIG was
00:34:46
you're you're way overrated the first
00:34:47
week he I think he finished 45th
00:34:50
something like that in the Tom he played
00:34:51
terrible so uh yeah we have some good
00:34:54
laughs oh that's good keep him granted
00:34:56
keep him granted um and yeah so it was a
00:34:58
it was an awesome um professional
00:35:00
partnership but also like a a friendship
00:35:02
as well like um he was best man at your
00:35:05
wedding yeah um can you what was a
00:35:07
speech like yeah no speech from Tiger
00:35:10
Woods does does does he write it himself
00:35:11
does he hire a speech no he's down to
00:35:13
earth like that no it was good you know
00:35:16
Kirsty and I my wife we went to tiger
00:35:17
and elen's wedding and tiger and his
00:35:20
wife and and and they came out to New
00:35:22
Zealand here and um came to our wedding
00:35:24
and tiger had already been here played
00:35:25
in the New Zealand open
00:35:27
um so you know he he loved the country
00:35:30
he he loved the how laidback New Zealand
00:35:32
is and he loved the fact that he could
00:35:35
you know get out and go for a run
00:35:37
somewhere and not too many people would
00:35:38
recognize him and so forth so yeah we
00:35:41
became very close obviously what do you
00:35:42
mean they wouldn't recognize him yeah I
00:35:45
mean not you'd recognize him a mile away
00:35:46
well not yeah you put a wind breaker on
00:35:49
and put a a beanie on and some glasses
00:35:52
um you know I mean some people recognize
00:35:54
him but um yeah no we we we we became
00:35:56
great mates and um I was very fortunate
00:36:01
that I knew where that line was drawn
00:36:03
because that's what happened with Greg
00:36:04
Norman and myself we become such great
00:36:06
mates that you know went over the line
00:36:09
of between a caddy and a player and so I
00:36:12
was well aware with that line where to
00:36:13
draw that line with tiger was so even
00:36:15
though we became very good mates in that
00:36:17
I knew where the line was drawn and it
00:36:19
was good we stayed great mates until you
00:36:21
know till it all ended and um you know
00:36:23
we had a great working relationship and
00:36:24
a great relationship off the course as
00:36:26
well
00:36:27
what was um his his wedding like what
00:36:29
are your Recollections of that like who
00:36:31
was who was there like Jordan Oprah oh
00:36:34
like I mean like I can't Tigers you know
00:36:36
he had a great mate a lot of great mates
00:36:38
and you know obviously Michael Jordan's
00:36:39
one of his great mates Charles Barkley's
00:36:41
one of his great mates um you know
00:36:43
there's a number of um other athletes
00:36:46
there and so forth but yeah me you you
00:36:48
seem very nonchalant about all this like
00:36:50
are you but when you're there you must
00:36:52
be like [ __ ] this is
00:36:54
amazing yeah well I mean not no not NE
00:36:56
necessarily because you like you're so
00:36:58
unbothered aren't you well you when when
00:37:00
these like you know tiger he played a
00:37:03
lot of rounds of golf with Michael
00:37:05
Jordan and Charles Barkley you know away
00:37:06
from the tour and there so you you know
00:37:08
they they were just like you know other
00:37:10
guys that you knew and um there was no
00:37:13
one there that you hadn't met before
00:37:15
sort of thing so you know like and when
00:37:17
you I've been fortunate you know even
00:37:19
before cting for Tiger having C for Greg
00:37:22
and Ray in the proam and a lot of that
00:37:24
that a lot of these people play in the
00:37:26
Pro you get to you know see him play
00:37:28
with a lot of these guys Greg Norman was
00:37:30
great one of his best mates was Nigel
00:37:32
Manel the Formula One racer and that so
00:37:34
you
00:37:36
know when you look at all these guys and
00:37:39
that because you're around them all the
00:37:40
time you don't look at you know Tiger
00:37:41
Wood's just another player is just
00:37:42
another bloke you know you don't Michael
00:37:44
Jordan is just another bloke you know
00:37:45
you look you don't look at them because
00:37:48
you know you don't you just want to act
00:37:49
normal around them iess so you so you
00:37:52
never got a a selfie with any of these
00:37:54
people you must have really you're not a
00:37:56
selfie guy no not a selfie you regret
00:37:58
that now
00:38:00
no oh you can't you know you can't I
00:38:03
would have zero chill in that situation
00:38:05
yeah no I don't have any selfies with
00:38:08
any of these guys but it's the memories
00:38:10
you know and and and the it was very
00:38:14
good to meet a lot of these people
00:38:15
because you I always was very
00:38:17
forthcoming and asking them questions
00:38:20
you know trying like tiger was also good
00:38:22
mates was Roger federan and I you know
00:38:25
sat down with him one time and we when
00:38:27
we were having dinner and that and sort
00:38:29
of tried to see how he handled pressure
00:38:32
and what drove him and sort of thing you
00:38:35
oh so you're trying to pick their brains
00:38:36
and tap into oh yeah absolutely yeah
00:38:39
yeah I was um when Greg sort of played
00:38:43
Greg Norman when he was playing on the
00:38:44
tour he idolized Jack Nicholas and and
00:38:47
Jack took him under his wingle but
00:38:48
that's how Greg got to be based in West
00:38:50
Palm Beach because that's where Jack
00:38:51
Nicholas was and Greg Jack took Greg
00:38:54
under his wing and we played a lot of
00:38:55
practice rounds Jack Nicholas and he was
00:38:58
he thought it was great because I
00:39:00
quizzed him a lot you know always trying
00:39:02
to get information and that's how you
00:39:03
you know the more information have the B
00:39:05
you can get so it was fortunate to be
00:39:07
catting for these guys that are
00:39:09
successful golfers because they mingled
00:39:11
with other Sportsmen it was great to ask
00:39:12
other Sportsman from different sports
00:39:14
how they handled pressure what they did
00:39:16
to prepare and and so forth yeah so that
00:39:18
was you know that's one of the benefits
00:39:21
I guess of catting for some of the
00:39:22
better players that um you know they get
00:39:25
to be paired with in prams or they you
00:39:27
know these other great sporting Legends
00:39:30
are around you and you can tap into
00:39:31
their mind yeah that's amazing you and
00:39:35
me are very different I probably
00:39:36
wouldn't have lasted 10 years in that
00:39:38
job fired acting inappropriate in front
00:39:40
of some of the cool friends yeah I think
00:39:43
I think a lot of people get you know
00:39:45
they get intimidated by big people like
00:39:47
that and they wouldn't ask some of the
00:39:48
questions that I asked and Jack because
00:39:50
I think well in fact he told me he
00:39:53
respected that I had had the willingness
00:39:57
to ask him some very difficult questions
00:39:59
when he had no crims in sharing that
00:40:01
information because nobody else would
00:40:02
ask him what what like can you remember
00:40:04
some of the questions oh just about
00:40:05
course preparation how you handle
00:40:08
pressure what sort of shots do you
00:40:10
what's what is the worst kind of shots
00:40:11
down pressure what are the best kind of
00:40:13
shots to hit under pressure and the one
00:40:15
thing that he he he stuck to is that you
00:40:18
know he said Steve when you go out the
00:40:20
golf course and you figure out how
00:40:21
you're going to play the golf course
00:40:23
unless the weather conditions or
00:40:24
something are dramatically different
00:40:25
never changing game plan never ever
00:40:27
change a game plan um and like that was
00:40:30
a good bit of advice there because me
00:40:32
like when we go back to talking about
00:40:33
Greg Norman what did he do on that
00:40:35
Sunday he changed his game plan and Jack
00:40:38
never changed his game plan unless the
00:40:40
weather condition dictated that you had
00:40:42
to um yeah just and his his record still
00:40:45
stands there for the most majors and
00:40:47
unlikely to be broken yeah no that look
00:40:49
what's tiger on and what's the golden be
00:40:51
yeah so Tiger's on 15 and Jack's on 18
00:40:54
but it's um no that that it's never
00:40:56
going to be a clip now I mean there's
00:40:58
just too many good players now and
00:41:00
unfortunately Tiger's health is not
00:41:02
going to allow him to play enough golf
00:41:04
where he can compete and and win major
00:41:06
championships I mean it's just a shame
00:41:08
but um that record's going to stand
00:41:10
forever yeah so while I'm being um a bit
00:41:13
of a siop fantic about this um this
00:41:16
lifestyle that you've been privy to that
00:41:18
no one else in New Zealand do um you
00:41:20
stayed at tiger's house what does 39
00:41:22
million buy you in
00:41:24
Miami yeah well I mean look
00:41:27
you're not sharing a bathroom are you no
00:41:29
I mean look tiger lived when I first
00:41:32
came from he he lived in a gated
00:41:35
community um like a lot of the athletes
00:41:37
do and um Shaq used to live in the same
00:41:40
gated community as tiger and you know it
00:41:42
was it was always entertaining because
00:41:45
obviously his the cars the vehicles that
00:41:47
he had obviously had to be extended
00:41:49
because of the S you know and and he he
00:41:52
loved his boom boxes so but um yeah
00:41:56
T yeah look these guys they make
00:41:59
exponential kind of money and they have
00:42:01
properties that are you know like you
00:42:03
can't even you know you can't even
00:42:05
fathom what they're like I guess but um
00:42:09
yeah that's just what that's what it is
00:42:11
so there's one um particularly me
00:42:13
memorable tournament the um the 2000 US
00:42:15
Open you remember that PE Beach yeah oh
00:42:18
yeah I remember that with a lot of
00:42:20
detail man yeah tiger won by um 15 shots
00:42:24
which is just unheard of right so um
00:42:26
what is what do that what does that
00:42:28
night look like so you you win by that
00:42:30
sort of amount um is it a massive
00:42:33
celebration uh yeah well I'll just step
00:42:37
back there a little bit you know that
00:42:39
was arguably up until that point Tiger's
00:42:42
greatest performance he was 12 under and
00:42:44
the next guy was three over 15 shot win
00:42:48
but the funniest thing about that week
00:42:50
is it nearly didn't happen so Tiger's
00:42:53
practice was just the best we' ever seen
00:42:56
SE myself and Butch Harmon as coach uh
00:42:59
we stood back and it was it was
00:43:02
unbelievable i' never seen a guy hit a
00:43:04
ball in practice on the Range and on the
00:43:06
core so we had to hold them back as much
00:43:08
as we could because you don't want to do
00:43:09
too much practice so sometimes you can
00:43:11
over practice and then it goes the other
00:43:13
way anyway so the the the famous story
00:43:15
about the week was is that I nearly ran
00:43:17
out of golf
00:43:18
balls that seems like a bad error for a
00:43:21
cad so what actually happened is on the
00:43:23
Friday we had a uh fog delay they had
00:43:26
Marine layer came in off the bay there
00:43:29
and we stopped play on the 13th hole on
00:43:32
Friday afternoon and so we had to
00:43:35
complete our round the very next morning
00:43:38
on Saturday morning early and at that
00:43:42
time the way Pebble Beach was set up
00:43:43
they had the driving range in one area
00:43:45
which was on the Polo Fields The pting
00:43:47
Greens at the clubhouse and then we had
00:43:48
to restart right out on the um 14th hole
00:43:52
13th hole which is is almost the
00:43:54
farthest part of away from the club so
00:43:57
given the start time that the players
00:43:59
had to be in position by it wasn't
00:44:01
possible to go all the way up to the
00:44:02
range back to the pting green and out to
00:44:05
the course so tiger did no putting
00:44:07
before he teed off he just went to the
00:44:08
range hit some balls and then got in the
00:44:11
uh the cury car out to the where he had
00:44:14
to be so I'd put the clubs down in his
00:44:16
room on Friday night and just walked
00:44:18
into his room on Saturday morning and
00:44:19
didn't usually the start of every day
00:44:22
check everything you know we got enough
00:44:24
gloves enough balls do we need any wet
00:44:26
weather gear what do we need extra
00:44:27
towels whatever it might be food
00:44:29
whatever it could be so but I didn't do
00:44:31
anything I just picked the bag up
00:44:32
because it was just a continuation of
00:44:33
yesterday's round I don't need anything
00:44:34
else had everything in the bag yesterday
00:44:36
so that's all good we get out to the to
00:44:38
the 14th hole for our
00:44:40
restart and uh I put my hand in the bag
00:44:43
there's only three golf balls I thought
00:44:44
that's a bit strange there should be
00:44:46
more than three but that's no big deal
00:44:49
playing unbelievable golf not going to
00:44:50
lose any golf balls but the very first
00:44:53
hole that he played he hit his t-shot
00:44:55
into the rough
00:44:56
and then he hit it out with a short eye
00:44:58
to the green and scuffed the ball you
00:45:00
put some Groove marks on the golf ball
00:45:02
and when he walked off the green he
00:45:03
threw it off to to a young man a young
00:45:06
kid walking with his father and of
00:45:08
course this kid's just so excited he's
00:45:10
showing his dad look I got one of tigers
00:45:11
balls that's got his name on it this
00:45:13
that now I'm thinking I need to go over
00:45:14
and ask that
00:45:16
kid just in case we might need it but no
00:45:19
no we won't need it you know and I
00:45:21
couldn't do that because imagine what
00:45:23
tiger would be thinking or someone was
00:45:24
thinking when you're around Tiger Woods
00:45:27
you can't do something without someone
00:45:28
seeing what you do yeah anyway not a
00:45:30
good look not a good look so he plays 15
00:45:32
14 15 16 17 we get the 18th te we got
00:45:35
two balls no problem I can't you know
00:45:39
I'm thinking probably should had an iron
00:45:40
off the tea here because he's out of
00:45:42
bounds to the right and of course you
00:45:43
got the ocean to the left and that but I
00:45:45
can't say anything he's playing
00:45:46
unbelievable golf I'm not going to step
00:45:48
in and say you should be playing
00:45:49
conservative on the last half of while
00:45:51
for what reason so you I'm not going to
00:45:53
say a word he just says driver said y
00:45:55
driver you don't you don't warn him that
00:45:56
there's only one ball no no no because
00:45:59
he'd be saying get your sorry ass back
00:46:01
to you ZL if that's the case anyway he
00:46:04
hits his t- shot worst shot he said of
00:46:06
the week snip Hawks it into the water
00:46:08
now we got one ball left and I'm holding
00:46:11
my hand he puts the driver back in the
00:46:14
bag slams it back in the bag the other
00:46:16
two guys he's playing with got a hit
00:46:17
next and I've got my head cover my hand
00:46:20
grasping the head cover on top of the
00:46:22
wood as hard as I can he's going to take
00:46:24
that give me that [ __ ] driver look
00:46:26
tiger you're leading the US Open by nine
00:46:28
just hit an iron down there you know
00:46:30
let's get the you know and come back you
00:46:31
got give me that [ __ ] driver and I'm
00:46:33
think you know if he hits this one
00:46:35
either out of bounds or hits it in the
00:46:38
ocean we're out of golf balls could
00:46:40
could you not one of the other players
00:46:41
could you is that not done you could if
00:46:43
they were playing the exact same golf
00:46:45
ball you can only play you know you have
00:46:47
to start not with the same Ball but the
00:46:49
exact same a brand or yeah he's playing
00:46:52
a Nike ball and the other guys are
00:46:53
playing a titless ball Okay so um yeah
00:46:57
obviously you could do that if they were
00:46:58
playing the exact ball mean you wouldn't
00:47:00
want the player to see you do that or
00:47:02
either of the players but yes you could
00:47:04
do that um so anyway so he hits hits
00:47:08
that drive with his last ball he hits in
00:47:10
the Fairway but on the 18th hot Pebble
00:47:12
Beach there's a pine tree in the middle
00:47:14
of the Fairway and as we're walking down
00:47:15
there uh I'm thinking you know this is
00:47:17
going to be right behind that pine tree
00:47:19
and when you get down there sure enough
00:47:20
it's pretty close to it so what's he
00:47:22
going to do now he's going to hit a big
00:47:23
shot with a big fade a big left right
00:47:26
shot that goes out over the bay and back
00:47:28
it's like and I know he's going to try
00:47:31
this shot I can't say anything either
00:47:33
and it's the first time in my life that
00:47:35
I'm standing there and my ass is
00:47:38
puckering it's just I've heard people
00:47:41
say that Express that and I thought I've
00:47:43
never known that I mean I've heard you
00:47:45
know sometimes your hand shakees and
00:47:46
your neck shakes well my ass was
00:47:49
puckering anyway so he starts this ball
00:47:51
out over the
00:47:52
ocean and brings it back down just short
00:47:55
of the green
00:47:56
gets it up and down you know anyway goes
00:47:58
on to win the tournament by 15 shots an
00:48:01
incredible performance but this is to
00:48:04
give you some insight you you mentioned
00:48:06
to me you know what was the celebration
00:48:08
what this that and the other I'll just
00:48:09
give you an insight to how this guy
00:48:11
thinks and how he's different to anyone
00:48:12
else that's ever played the game and
00:48:13
probably in sports
00:48:16
so after the final hole there you go and
00:48:18
then and and you go in there and while
00:48:20
the player checks the scorecard they
00:48:22
have a scorer and the scorer will read
00:48:24
out the score tigle check it against his
00:48:26
scorecard and I and I'll also have my
00:48:29
own scorecard and just to check that's
00:48:31
what you do and um okay does the
00:48:35
scorecard and he walks outside and I'm
00:48:37
standing there once he's you know he's
00:48:39
in a minute there shaking hands with
00:48:40
different people and he walks outside
00:48:42
the scores tent I'm the first person
00:48:43
that stand there with the golf clubs and
00:48:45
he says so tell me what that is what was
00:48:47
all the drama about on the 18th hle on
00:48:49
Friday you know and I tell him the story
00:48:51
and and he just he absolutely laughs and
00:48:54
he said well if we you know he
00:48:56
he he said if we had to run out of golf
00:48:58
balls you would have been working at
00:49:00
tw's Car Wash CU he he always told me
00:49:03
one day he was going to open the car
00:49:05
wash and if you don't if you don't live
00:49:07
up to my expectations Steve you'll be
00:49:08
running the car wash not carrying the
00:49:10
clubs and then the next thing he said to
00:49:12
me he said um I'm going to play even
00:49:15
better at the British Open in St Andrews
00:49:18
I want you to get your ass over there as
00:49:20
quick as you can I want you to know
00:49:21
every blade of grass on that course
00:49:23
that's exactly what he said to me so
00:49:25
instead of sort of going away and having
00:49:28
some kind of Celebration it was like oh
00:49:30
my okay you know I was I just had to get
00:49:32
my head around okay I was going back to
00:49:35
New Zealand supposedly for a few weeks I
00:49:37
thought you know I've got to get over to
00:49:38
St Andrews a week earlier than I
00:49:39
probably was going because you know he's
00:49:41
tell he's going to play better um and he
00:49:45
did amazingly so the the next major that
00:49:50
was the the Open Championship he played
00:49:53
better than he did at pble that was the
00:49:54
Pinnacle of the the 13 years of caring
00:49:57
for Tiger that's the tourament he played
00:49:58
the best at was St Andrews it was just
00:50:01
remarkable and that was a nine shot
00:50:02
Victory so he'd gone 15 shot Victory
00:50:04
nine shot victory in two major
00:50:06
championships so is is it is it an
00:50:09
exaggeration or is that accurate so you
00:50:10
won the the 2,000 US Open by 15 shots
00:50:13
and then that night you're going over to
00:50:16
inspect the the British Open course yeah
00:50:18
I mean no I I was going back to New
00:50:20
Zealand but I was scheduled like to go
00:50:23
back to the British Open you know maybe
00:50:25
I can't remember you know three or four
00:50:27
days before but yeah because of his high
00:50:29
expectations and you know I want you to
00:50:31
know every blade of grass you know I
00:50:33
want to want to know everything not that
00:50:35
and not that you wouldn't normally you'd
00:50:36
always do that anyway but just the extra
00:50:38
pressure of him telling me I'm going to
00:50:40
play even better and and St Andrews and
00:50:43
St Andrew's difficult Golf Course to
00:50:45
navigate as far as these so many bunkers
00:50:48
you got to have a real Knack cuz there
00:50:50
you play split different Fairways
00:50:52
depending on the winds they got double
00:50:53
greens you got to have a lot of
00:50:54
knowledge here like a c that's never
00:50:56
been there before is unlikely to win the
00:50:59
tourament with their player the first
00:51:00
time they play there because there's no
00:51:01
golf course that requires more
00:51:03
information than that golf course
00:51:05
because there a lot of blind shots so
00:51:06
you can't see where you got try to hit
00:51:07
it and you got to know where all these
00:51:09
bunkers are in your head where you you
00:51:11
know it's it's quite difficult to
00:51:12
explain but um and and that that's the
00:51:15
way as was but what's sort of different
00:51:18
about tiger I mean he different in a lot
00:51:20
of ways but uh he never celebrated you
00:51:23
know he was always on to the next thing
00:51:25
you know he he felt like he was supposed
00:51:27
to win he wanted to win a job wasn't
00:51:29
well done until he you know won so if
00:51:31
you didn't win a tournament that was
00:51:32
considered a failure so working for him
00:51:34
was tremendously stressful and there was
00:51:37
never any celebrating that's the
00:51:38
weirdest thing people always think you
00:51:40
must have these massive parties this
00:51:41
that the other it was never it was
00:51:42
always what's the next goal yeah I mean
00:51:45
he he would even that's why he's so good
00:51:46
though right yeah I mean he's just
00:51:48
remarkable yeah he he he he would I'll
00:51:51
never forget one time at Bay Hill he
00:51:53
lived in Orlando and at Bay Hill Hill uh
00:51:56
he won the tournament but he on the last
00:51:58
hole he h a remarkable part to to win
00:52:01
the tournament but it was a very length
00:52:03
he put like a 40-footer and he hit a
00:52:05
poor iron shot to hit it at 40 ft and as
00:52:08
soon as he left the golf course after
00:52:10
he'd done the Trophy presentation that
00:52:12
we went back to where he lived onto the
00:52:14
range and he hit like 200 of that same
00:52:16
shot he was trying to hit there I mean
00:52:17
he was relentless and he he seldom in my
00:52:20
eyes he seldom celebrated he he might
00:52:22
have had a cigar once on now again but
00:52:25
um you know he certainly didn't go on a
00:52:26
bander like some of the guys do when
00:52:28
when they wi tournaments I've had Ryan
00:52:30
your mate Ryan Fox on the podcast it
00:52:31
seems like when he plays well it's a lot
00:52:34
more fun afterwards for him and the
00:52:35
caddy yeah well I mean look these got
00:52:37
these guys are notorious they go on a
00:52:39
two or three day Bender you know if you
00:52:41
if you win a a major championship you
00:52:43
know I mean it's it's something as as a
00:52:45
golfer a professional golfer that's what
00:52:47
everyone aspires to do and when you
00:52:49
actually accomplish that it's an
00:52:50
incredible feeling that but I mean he he
00:52:53
he was he's he he's different in so many
00:52:56
aspects and particularly that one but I
00:52:58
mean he he he was straight onto the next
00:53:00
thing like what's the next one what sort
00:53:02
of shots am I required to play and how
00:53:05
did how did you handle um that pressure
00:53:07
like where where does this resilience
00:53:09
come from in this mental mental fortit
00:53:11
CH yeah one of the things I did do was
00:53:13
you know I always got away uh in all my
00:53:16
weeks off I always came back to New
00:53:17
Zealand um just to destress for about
00:53:20
hang out with your people yeah yeah um
00:53:23
my wife was a great leveler for me and
00:53:25
she keep me well grounded and you know
00:53:27
like reminded me how important it was to
00:53:30
stay level but um yeah I mean
00:53:35
look he he
00:53:37
he was so desperate to BR Jack's record
00:53:41
of 18 majes and that was what kept you
00:53:43
know that's all I thought about I
00:53:45
thought that when the when that moment
00:53:47
came I had no doubt it was never going
00:53:48
to come I thought that's going to be one
00:53:51
of the greatest if not the greatest
00:53:53
sporting achievements ever because it's
00:53:55
something that no one will ever do and
00:53:57
nobody thought someone would come along
00:53:58
and do it and here's a guy that had
00:54:01
every opportunity to do it and I I just
00:54:03
I pictured that over and over my head
00:54:04
and that's what kept me going um but you
00:54:07
know coming back to New Zealand and
00:54:08
being able to just chill out with my
00:54:10
friends and family and have that
00:54:12
opportunity to get away you know America
00:54:13
there's a lot of hype and a lot of that
00:54:15
and particularly being around tiger um
00:54:18
you know it's not something you could do
00:54:20
you know 247 for 52 weeks a year be
00:54:22
around someone that's you know I mean
00:54:24
like I it's remarkable how these guys
00:54:26
handle it themselves yeah um you've got
00:54:28
to be a different makeup but I mean you
00:54:30
know obviously he he was playing golf at
00:54:32
a level that no one ever played for for
00:54:34
a sustained period of time and um yeah
00:54:38
and you had a front row seat there
00:54:40
there's another another tournament I I
00:54:42
don't know which one it is you probably
00:54:43
know um but tiger H out and won and then
00:54:46
um you guys hugged each other and it was
00:54:48
like a it was like a lingering I think
00:54:49
it was just after his dad's death it was
00:54:51
a lingering hug like he didn't want to
00:54:52
let go of you yeah yeah so no one had
00:54:54
ever seen that side tiger that was a ho
00:54:56
Lake um at Royal Liverpool when they had
00:54:59
the Open Championship uh in 2006 I love
00:55:02
your memory of this stuff by the way um
00:55:05
yes it be easy I mean when you're
00:55:06
playing week and week out it' be easy
00:55:08
for them to blur into well yeah some
00:55:09
some weeks are more memorable than the
00:55:11
others but you know major championships
00:55:13
are pretty special but yeah that one's
00:55:14
memorable because it was um you know
00:55:17
Tiger's first major championship success
00:55:19
following the passing of his father he
00:55:21
played in the US Open prior to that um
00:55:25
having not practiced for several weeks
00:55:28
before after his father passed away and
00:55:30
he he played pretty poorly and then um
00:55:33
he came to Royal
00:55:35
Liverpool um and it was it was a
00:55:38
fascinating week um so he hadn't or no
00:55:42
one to played it it was the first time
00:55:43
they played there a professional
00:55:44
tourament since uh in the modern era for
00:55:47
the British Open anyway and we got there
00:55:50
in the previous tournament that tiger
00:55:52
played in uh was the Western open in
00:55:54
Chicago
00:55:55
and he didn't fear that well but he was
00:55:58
hitting his long IRS amazing that week
00:56:01
um what stood out from that week to me
00:56:04
and we went to the Hoy Lake and it was
00:56:05
hard baked out the golf course was hard
00:56:07
and fast they had a great summer there
00:56:09
while they were enjoying a great summer
00:56:11
and it was a really lynxy course the
00:56:13
ball was running a mile and and I went
00:56:16
round T we got we flew there I flew with
00:56:18
tiger and straight to the house and he
00:56:20
says Steve you get out and have a look
00:56:21
at the golf course and come back and
00:56:22
we'll talk about it lunch before I go
00:56:24
out there and and um so I went out there
00:56:26
and I walked around the golf course for
00:56:27
a few hours and that and thought you
00:56:29
know he can get around here without
00:56:30
playing a driver I mean he's the
00:56:32
strength right now has his long irons he
00:56:34
can lay back from a lot of these bunkers
00:56:37
uh instead of going into the green with
00:56:39
sort of 7 eight n irons he can lay back
00:56:41
take the pen take the trouble out of
00:56:42
play and hit a lot of four five and six
00:56:44
IRS into the greens um and that's
00:56:47
exactly what he did he hit one driver in
00:56:49
the tournament that was it in the whole
00:56:51
72 holes he he eliminated all the
00:56:53
bunkers and um yeah so he and then when
00:56:58
he came down the 18th hole um it was a
00:57:02
gray overcast sort of day and as he
00:57:04
approached the green there from about
00:57:05
100 meters the sun shine through you
00:57:08
know it was kind of Airy um and that was
00:57:11
like I said to him that's you know
00:57:12
that's your father looking down on you
00:57:14
and that's what that's what I thought
00:57:16
was just so eery that the sun would just
00:57:18
shine through for that little moment
00:57:20
while he was walking to the Green from
00:57:22
from the time he approached the
00:57:23
grandstand where the Grand sand starts
00:57:25
till he got to the green the sun shine
00:57:27
through and I said that to him you
00:57:30
that's just what came into my head I
00:57:31
said that to him and yeah after he put
00:57:33
it out he he just broke down and I no
00:57:35
one had ever seen that side of tiger in
00:57:37
anything he's just doesn't show any
00:57:39
emotions um and then then we went sort
00:57:42
of you know separated and he just he was
00:57:45
clinging on to me it was like yeah it
00:57:47
was it was like um maybe a thir like a
00:57:49
30 second hug yeah he was just um yeah
00:57:54
it all you know I think the it was the
00:57:57
first real moment that that he you know
00:58:00
he'd won a major championship came off
00:58:02
the green on the 18th there and you know
00:58:03
mom or dad are not standing there um and
00:58:07
it was you know it was a big moment but
00:58:09
um yeah then then it went over to his
00:58:11
wife at the time and yeah broke down
00:58:12
broke yeah so no one had ever seen that
00:58:14
side of tiger so you know that was a you
00:58:16
know an emotional win for sure and show
00:58:19
showed a different side of tiger to the
00:58:21
rest of the world yeah what are your
00:58:23
memories of Erin t t is it TI yeah with
00:58:26
the big visor yeah no um Tia came from
00:58:29
Thailand she was a Thailand and and
00:58:31
Tiger's father was a ex-military guy and
00:58:34
that and um yeah they they they you they
00:58:38
they were very sort of average normal to
00:58:42
type people to me I mean I went to ear's
00:58:43
house a couple times and that and he
00:58:45
just lived in a normal neighborhood in
00:58:47
California near the Army Golf Course
00:58:49
where tiger grew up and played and um
00:58:51
yeah they were just sort of normal
00:58:53
people that that um you know obviously
00:58:55
they saw a tremendous Talent on tiger
00:58:58
and um well they like it's almost like
00:59:00
he was groomed To Be A Champion wasn't
00:59:02
he like 's project yeah exactly but um
00:59:06
you know the most important thing that
00:59:08
you you you learn from when you see
00:59:09
parents like that is that you know they
00:59:11
never pushed tiger they encouraged him
00:59:14
but they never pushed him and I think
00:59:15
that's a very big thing for a lot of
00:59:17
parents to realize that you know you
00:59:19
can't push your kids and make them do
00:59:21
something you you got to encourage them
00:59:23
and hope that they do it and advise them
00:59:25
but you you just certainly can't push
00:59:26
them and I think a lot of parents are
00:59:28
guilty of that have you read the Andre
00:59:30
egy book open I have read that book yeah
00:59:33
loathes tennis apparently because his
00:59:35
dad made him play I wonder if it was the
00:59:37
same sort of thing with tiger where you
00:59:39
have a conflicted relationship with the
00:59:40
sport because you know the you're entry
00:59:43
into it but I don't think that's the
00:59:44
case with tiger no no no I mean he he uh
00:59:47
he loves the history of the game he
00:59:48
loves the game but um yeah know his his
00:59:50
his dad made it fun made it enjoyable
00:59:53
and made it competitive for him yeah and
00:59:54
is it true that Tera called Phil
00:59:56
nichelson Hefty lify is that true is
00:59:59
that just
01:00:00
a yeah yeah I mean yeah there's a few um
01:00:04
did did you and tiger call them [ __ ]
01:00:05
tats or no am I making that up look I
01:00:07
mean no comment no look I didn't know
01:00:11
that but look one of the funniest things
01:00:13
I've ever seen on a golf course was in
01:00:15
New York um at Beth Page black when they
01:00:19
played the US Open there and of course
01:00:20
New York people were very rockus loud
01:00:23
and you know some people might even
01:00:24
describ them as being
01:00:26
obnoxious um so on the 17th ho at the US
01:00:29
Open there tiger on the Saturday
01:00:31
afternoon he's playing with Phil melon
01:00:33
packed stand and at that particular
01:00:35
point in time I'd never seen a grand
01:00:36
stand bigger than one of the grand
01:00:38
stands that was erected on the 17th hole
01:00:40
there it was huge the amount of people
01:00:42
in it so the players are walking down to
01:00:45
from the PA it's a path three they're
01:00:47
walking from the T to the green and
01:00:48
there one guy standing up the top of the
01:00:50
grand stand he yells out as loud as he
01:00:52
can a Phil and you know Phil doesn't
01:00:55
even look up hey Phil doesn't look up
01:00:58
again he goes hey Mr Mickelson and Phil
01:01:01
looks up to this guy says nice tits
01:01:03
foil and there would have been two or
01:01:06
3,000 people in this one grand stand and
01:01:09
and and if if if Phil could have gone
01:01:11
into a bunker and pulled a cover over it
01:01:12
he would have done that I've never seen
01:01:14
a guy felt more out of place than he did
01:01:16
right there I mean and of course we
01:01:17
tiger and I were just pissing ourselves
01:01:20
so um yeah that that was that was that
01:01:22
was very funny yeah and um so November
01:01:26
2007 um that's when tiger had the car
01:01:28
crash on the sleeping pills um the
01:01:31
Scandal broke where were you were you in
01:01:33
New Zealand at the time yeah yeah what
01:01:35
what are your Recollections of there I
01:01:37
was I I was uh I was on a
01:01:40
tractor um on a slasher slashing one of
01:01:44
my paddocks and I I was listening to the
01:01:46
radio I was on the news so that that's
01:01:49
um that's that's that's how I came to to
01:01:52
hear about that yeah and then it sort of
01:01:53
unravels the the days and weeks went on
01:01:56
um how what sort of impact did that have
01:01:58
have on you that scandal in that time I
01:02:00
can't imagine it was easy for you I
01:02:01
remember at the time they were you said
01:02:04
you knew nothing about it and people
01:02:05
were saying that that's that's hard to
01:02:07
Fathom um I was saying to friends at the
01:02:09
time it's absolutely not hard to Fathom
01:02:11
especially like if you if you if your
01:02:13
best mate's a straight up and down guy
01:02:14
like Steve is and you know you're doing
01:02:16
something wrong you're going to do what
01:02:18
you can to keep it from him because I'm
01:02:19
guessing tiger knew that if you knew
01:02:21
you'd be like tiger this is [ __ ] up um
01:02:25
if it carries on I'm going to have to
01:02:26
tell elen or do something about it yeah
01:02:28
that that's 100% the synopsis I mean so
01:02:30
many people thought as much time as we
01:02:32
spent together you carry for a guy you
01:02:33
spend that many days with a guy how's
01:02:36
that not possible you know what's going
01:02:37
on I had zero idea what was going on and
01:02:39
that and look Tiger's a m of mine and
01:02:41
everybody makes mistakes and it just
01:02:43
happens to be that you know he he's a
01:02:45
person in a high profile person you know
01:02:47
everybody makes mistakes so as a friend
01:02:49
as someone that worked for him you I
01:02:51
just wanted to support him 100% and said
01:02:53
um you know whatever it takes to help
01:02:55
you whatever I'm there for you um yeah I
01:02:57
mean people the comments and everything
01:02:59
I mean it's just you got to be thick
01:03:01
skinned to be a caddy for one so that
01:03:03
helps you know like if you if if you're
01:03:05
not thick skinned you're not going to be
01:03:06
successful at C but you certainly need
01:03:08
thick skinn after that incident all the
01:03:10
Scandal break through and everything
01:03:12
yeah yeah and and and what about your
01:03:14
relationship with your wife yeah look
01:03:16
was that was that test tested at the
01:03:17
time oh I mean there's no question that
01:03:19
that that that that was testing but uh
01:03:22
my wife is very understanding and and
01:03:23
she's great friends with elen and that
01:03:26
and and you know she understood that you
01:03:29
know Tigers made a big mistake here and
01:03:31
and so forth but you know we were
01:03:32
friends with him we were very good
01:03:34
friends with him and we just tried to
01:03:35
support them the best we can you know
01:03:37
kirsty's very intelligent and helped me
01:03:39
through that as well but you know it was
01:03:40
difficult J my son was going to school
01:03:42
and you know people were saying things
01:03:44
about oh you know your dad's this and
01:03:46
your dad's that you know with no no
01:03:48
nothing to back up what they're saying
01:03:49
and that so it was you know definitely a
01:03:51
difficult period but um yeah it was a
01:03:53
shame cuz at the end of the
01:03:55
day that that whole thing sort of
01:03:59
snowboard and and long term that was the
01:04:02
probably the major reason why tiger
01:04:05
hasn't gone on to win you know the 18
01:04:07
major championships I mean you
01:04:10
know things led to him doing some other
01:04:12
activities and he got injured and you
01:04:14
know so forth and um I I guess he during
01:04:19
that whole period when he was under a
01:04:20
lot of stress himself and that he was
01:04:22
probably working out way to too much and
01:04:24
his body was probably you know
01:04:27
not going to be in perfect tune for golf
01:04:30
and he got you know started and get
01:04:32
niggling injuries
01:04:33
and and it shortened his career had that
01:04:36
whole thing not eventuated in that um
01:04:40
you know I'd be more than willing to
01:04:43
think that he would have won those extra
01:04:45
majes and carried on but it's it's it's
01:04:47
a sad end to what is an you know one of
01:04:50
the greatest sporting stories ever I
01:04:52
mean he dominated Golf and he's you know
01:04:54
incredible player and that but yeah it's
01:04:56
a shame he didn't go on to realize what
01:04:59
his dream was yeah absolutely and then
01:05:01
um so after that there was um he was in
01:05:04
rehab for sex addiction and then um he
01:05:06
had to do this TV statement thing and
01:05:08
you so this was 2010 I think you look
01:05:10
back now with 13 years hindsight it was
01:05:13
very weird like he was he was a bad
01:05:15
husband um he he was unfaithful but to
01:05:18
have to like stand in front of a room of
01:05:20
people and make a prepared statement and
01:05:22
look as solemn as you can in front of
01:05:24
bunch of people that had nothing to do
01:05:25
with that looking disapproving at you
01:05:27
that's [ __ ] up yeah well I mean I Look
01:05:29
To be honest you I I don't even know why
01:05:31
he was had to do that I mean you must
01:05:33
have been advice from yeah I mean you
01:05:35
don't have to answer anybody you answer
01:05:36
to your family and your friends and your
01:05:38
sponsors now you don't have to answered
01:05:40
anybody so I I found that as weird as
01:05:42
anybody else probably found it yeah and
01:05:44
then so then after that it was the 2010
01:05:46
master so he came back and came back
01:05:48
fairly quickly and played how did you
01:05:49
guys how did you guys get on then 2010
01:05:52
yeah he played actually um surprisingly
01:05:55
um he opened up with a couple of very
01:05:57
good rounds there uh having not um you
01:06:01
know been playing that that much on the
01:06:04
tour obviously he was practicing and
01:06:05
playing at home but um yeah look I mean
01:06:07
it's amazing the the crowd was so much
01:06:10
behind them um and that and um yeah we
01:06:13
we we we you know got back on uh and we
01:06:17
way we went again you I had um um do you
01:06:20
know Millie ker the cricketer yeah yeah
01:06:21
I had her on the podcast a few weeks ago
01:06:23
and she's um we talked in quite quite
01:06:25
quite quite a bit of depth about her
01:06:27
mental health issues and you know the
01:06:28
anxiety she suffers and stuff like that
01:06:30
and she said when she's um playing
01:06:32
Cricket that's the one time that it goes
01:06:33
away because it's like a happy place
01:06:35
maybe it's the same with tiger he just
01:06:36
wanted to get the [ __ ] back out there as
01:06:38
soon as what he could yeah look I
01:06:40
mean when you go and
01:06:43
play professional golf and you're
01:06:45
playing on the PJ tour or any other tour
01:06:47
and that to do to be successful you got
01:06:51
to be totally focused and um
01:06:54
tiger always said that he was very good
01:06:57
at compartmentalizing things that was
01:06:59
one of his strength to be able to put
01:07:01
things
01:07:02
aside whether it be whatever it was you
01:07:04
know he he he might have been working on
01:07:06
a golf course design he might have been
01:07:07
working on something else and that but
01:07:09
he he had that ability to
01:07:11
compartmentalize things and solely focus
01:07:14
on the job and hand but I think any
01:07:17
person their happy place is where they
01:07:19
you know obviously they're always H
01:07:21
happily with their family and home but
01:07:23
the their place they they get their
01:07:25
excitement their joy and is living their
01:07:28
dream on on doing what they do best and
01:07:31
that's for him that was playing golf and
01:07:33
you know just he loved competing more
01:07:34
than anyone that I'd ever seen I mean
01:07:36
he's just a different breed of of
01:07:38
competitor he he just hated to lose and
01:07:40
his only satisfaction came from winning
01:07:43
so some players might be happy if they
01:07:44
finish in the top three top five top 10
01:07:46
top 20 I mean unless he won he wasn't
01:07:49
happy so you know every week going you
01:07:51
know I mean his winning percent
01:07:53
percentage was
01:07:55
unbelievable but yeah it's never going
01:07:57
to be repeated is it it's never going to
01:07:58
be repeated but I mean when you're
01:07:59
caring for a guy that you know like some
01:08:01
guys to finish with a top 10 you know
01:08:03
and you shake hands in of the week you
01:08:04
know you know good week top 10 yep that
01:08:07
but you couldn't ever say that it's only
01:08:09
a good week if you won so you know every
01:08:11
week was a failure unless you won so I
01:08:13
mean second place is the first loser
01:08:15
yeah absolutely but I mean he he um yeah
01:08:18
it it's it was stressful getting for you
01:08:21
know it was obviously fun but just
01:08:23
knowing
01:08:26
every week that if unless you w won the
01:08:27
tournament wasn't a success so the
01:08:30
pressure was you Monumental yeah and
01:08:33
then then what happened to you guys on
01:08:34
the end so he was having a break from
01:08:35
golf and you that's when you started
01:08:37
working with Adam Scott that was going
01:08:39
to be like a like a fling I guess that
01:08:41
on the side yeah so tiger when he came
01:08:44
back he then then he was having some
01:08:45
injury problems and so forth and anyway
01:08:49
so we we TIG was due to play the
01:08:50
Congressional open uh the sorry the US
01:08:52
Open at congression
01:08:54
and I I'd left New Zealand here my
01:08:56
father-in-law came with me and I had
01:08:58
another mate with me and we were going
01:08:59
to that tournament and tiger hadn't
01:09:02
played in a few weeks and that but he
01:09:03
was adamant he was going to play in the
01:09:04
tournament great and then he announced
01:09:05
on the Friday that he wasn't playing in
01:09:07
the tournament we had already left New
01:09:09
Zealand to head to that tournament I had
01:09:11
like I said had my father-in-law with me
01:09:12
and another friend with me and just
01:09:15
happened to be that Adam Scott called me
01:09:17
and said say Steve I see tigers pulled
01:09:18
out of the tour any chance you could
01:09:20
carry for me and I said yeah I think
01:09:22
that should be right I rang tiger and he
01:09:24
said yep no problem you know I don't
01:09:25
have a problem with that and um so
01:09:28
that's all good we get prepared to go we
01:09:31
we' flying to America and then we were
01:09:34
going onwards to um Washington to to
01:09:37
Congressional and then tiger changed his
01:09:40
mind and well we you know we' already
01:09:42
got there to and I had my father-in-law
01:09:45
like I said a friend with me and and I'd
01:09:47
already told Adam yes and I thought well
01:09:49
I said I thought to myself well you know
01:09:51
I what's the big deal I'm going to carry
01:09:53
for the guy I mean I didn't see any I
01:09:55
didn't see any big deal about it and um
01:09:59
yeah I went in cave him and that was the
01:10:01
end of the story tiger for one reason or
01:10:03
another he he he told me yes and then he
01:10:06
disapproved it and I you know he
01:10:08
basically said to me well if you go
01:10:09
ahead and do it off why and I actually
01:10:11
kind of thought he was
01:10:13
joke yeah yeah it seems a little drastic
01:10:16
oh it did you know it got me by surprise
01:10:18
i' you know i' supported him and done a
01:10:21
what I felt like was a great job of
01:10:23
everything did everything he ever asked
01:10:24
me to do and you know I just thought
01:10:26
that was a bit unusual so and does he
01:10:28
does he is that done by text does he
01:10:30
call
01:10:32
um no that well he wasn't at the
01:10:34
tournament right yeah so uh well how do
01:10:37
you hear you've lost the job well then a
01:10:40
week or so later um the next tournament
01:10:44
um his foundation is a the tournament
01:10:49
benefits his foundation and he was at
01:10:52
that tournament but not playing and and
01:10:53
then that's when you know when we sat
01:10:56
down and that was the end of it so but I
01:10:58
mean look when you're caring for
01:11:00
somebody you know things change and
01:11:02
things move on I knew straight away to
01:11:04
be honest when I went back to catting
01:11:06
for Tiger that we didn't have the same
01:11:08
chemistry because he he ultimately
01:11:12
probably even though we're great mates
01:11:14
and everything he he he as you alluded
01:11:17
to he kept that a secret to me because
01:11:20
he knows I'm a standup kind of bloke and
01:11:23
I I guess even though embarrassed about
01:11:26
how he behaved correct yeah and even
01:11:29
though you know we are great mates that
01:11:32
I could sense that he could sense that
01:11:35
you know my own opinion of him had
01:11:37
probably changed and that um and you
01:11:42
know he like you said and it's 100%
01:11:45
correct is that he did everything he
01:11:47
could to make sure that I didn't know
01:11:49
what was going on yeah and um but yeah
01:11:53
it's quite sad though way when you go
01:11:54
through so much together you you know
01:11:56
you basically go to war with each other
01:11:58
for for 10 10 years or whatever it is
01:12:00
you when have so much success together
01:12:02
and then for the relationship
01:12:04
to I don't know you know what I mean to
01:12:06
not be able to sit sit down at a
01:12:08
tournament now with cigars and reflect
01:12:10
on what you went through it seems quite
01:12:11
sad yeah no you don't really look at it
01:12:13
like that it's because it's no I mean
01:12:15
you because in the role of a caddy it it
01:12:19
frequently changes and things you know
01:12:20
the caddies get hired and fired all the
01:12:22
time and that so you know in in some
01:12:25
respect it was good to um get away from
01:12:29
that ATM you know that that whole
01:12:31
catting for Tiger thing because the
01:12:33
pressure is immense but then then then
01:12:36
came along a great new challenge because
01:12:38
Adam and I had always been quite tight
01:12:40
as well um just friends with Adam and
01:12:42
that and and it presented A new
01:12:44
challenge and I'd always wondered why he
01:12:46
didn't play better than he than he did
01:12:48
particularly in major championships so
01:12:50
that actually presented A new challenge
01:12:52
and that was fresh and um yeah so so um
01:12:57
are you and tiger still in touch like
01:12:58
did you call or text him after the car
01:13:00
accident in 2021 or no 2009 Majors wi do
01:13:04
you we've had no um no contact there
01:13:08
problem with a guy like tiger and
01:13:11
numerous guys like him they changed
01:13:12
their phone number so often so you can't
01:13:15
get their phone number you know
01:13:16
obviously had his number at the time but
01:13:18
um you can't get their phone number you
01:13:20
he changes his phone number frequently
01:13:22
you know CU I think I think that's sad I
01:13:25
know you say it's just the life of a
01:13:26
caddy but [ __ ] you you guys did some
01:13:28
stuff together yeah yeah well it was um
01:13:32
yeah it's just the way it panned out and
01:13:34
then um this year um we were actually
01:13:38
going to get together at the US Open um
01:13:41
I was telling tiger about my son he was
01:13:43
asking about my son what he's up to and
01:13:45
I said well actually he's going to be at
01:13:46
the US Open um this is when I was
01:13:48
talking to Tiger at austa um but in the
01:13:51
end you know tiger didn't he he played
01:13:53
at Augusta and then he hasn't played
01:13:55
since so we were going to get together
01:13:57
and um you know I don't know what was
01:14:00
going to happen but we we had plan to
01:14:02
sit down and then yeah yeah and then um
01:14:05
so Adam Scott you guys start working
01:14:07
together I heard him on a podcast
01:14:09
talking about a story where uh he said
01:14:11
he was going to pick you up from
01:14:12
Heathrow and uh apparently it was like
01:14:14
the tiger story you told before he was
01:14:16
rugged up and you were wearing shorts in
01:14:17
a singlet or something is that true by
01:14:21
the way who arrives at he throwing
01:14:22
shorts in a sing yeah yeah like I'm
01:14:24
always you know like Adam he plays with
01:14:27
a jump on when it's 25 de you know but
01:14:30
um yeah know the the so when after I C
01:14:34
for Adam that US Open that and the next
01:14:37
one he was playing in that which I
01:14:38
agreed to C for it's the British Open
01:14:40
and everything and and he picked me up
01:14:42
at the airport which what I I found was
01:14:43
just you know here's a guy golfing
01:14:45
Superstar is going to drive and pick me
01:14:47
up at the airport and take me to the to
01:14:49
to where we're going to like it's just
01:14:51
something that players don't do
01:14:52
literally drove and picked her up
01:14:54
himself didn't send a car no yeah no
01:14:56
like no that shows a huge amount of
01:14:58
respect it did I was yeah it was
01:15:00
something I was always special yeah so
01:15:02
um and then so so you you and Adam we
01:15:05
touched upon this at the beginning of
01:15:06
the 2013 Masters you won that which is
01:15:08
massive for him Messa for Australia
01:15:10
Messa for you um what did that
01:15:12
celebration look like compared to the
01:15:14
one where tiger won by uh the US Open by
01:15:16
15 shots yeah yeah so we we were all
01:15:18
staying in the house at austa uh his
01:15:21
manager his coach
01:15:24
uh myself and um Adam's Family were
01:15:28
there um and Adam had quite a few mates
01:15:33
and so forth so yeah it was it was um
01:15:36
yeah it was wasn't a huge celebration
01:15:38
they have a Champions dinner that night
01:15:39
so Adam has to you know he has to go
01:15:41
back to the club and go to the to the
01:15:43
dinner um but he's not sending you off
01:15:45
to the next tournament to scope oh no no
01:15:48
no no there was no no thought like that
01:15:51
yeah so and then um so what's your
01:15:54
status now cuz you retired in 2019 but
01:15:56
it feels like you're you're always back
01:15:57
and forth you're you're retire you're
01:15:59
retiring more than Jay-Z yeah well I
01:16:01
mean you you retire and then you get
01:16:03
guys that you know Jason
01:16:06
day like almost not I don't know if the
01:16:09
right word big but was really wanted me
01:16:12
to come and K from him for a few tours
01:16:14
and I did and then Adam Scott this year
01:16:17
uh asked me to come and K for a few
01:16:18
tours and that so yeah whilst you're
01:16:21
retired and that you get an opportunity
01:16:23
sometimes go back and caddy a few TS and
01:16:25
that and it's quite fun to do but like
01:16:27
as far as doing it for a full-time job
01:16:29
no I'm completely away from cting
01:16:32
fulltime but I mean every now and again
01:16:34
like I hope you know C Ryan Fox every
01:16:36
now and again um but yeah just fill in I
01:16:39
guess for guys yeah you still enjoy it
01:16:41
when you do it occasionally when you
01:16:42
debble yeah yeah it's it's fun to like
01:16:46
the game constantly evolves you don't
01:16:49
realize when you're working in something
01:16:52
you know it's it's evolving while you're
01:16:53
there you don't probably see it evolve
01:16:55
but when you step away for a little bit
01:16:57
and come back you know the there's
01:16:59
always some changes and and and what the
01:17:01
players are thinking what their
01:17:02
equipment is using you know the new
01:17:04
balls the new clubs the new shafts and
01:17:06
things yeah it's quite good to it's an
01:17:08
evolving game like all sports so um yeah
01:17:11
it's fun who who who's the who's the guy
01:17:13
that's really good that's got a terrible
01:17:14
swing what's his name um Des or no
01:17:19
what's Bryson Des yeah is he the one
01:17:20
that's got a really weird swing well
01:17:22
he's just he he uses clubs that are he
01:17:25
uses one length Club every club's the
01:17:28
same length he has very thick grips and
01:17:29
he and he and he takes An Almighty swipe
01:17:32
at it but um yeah super effective though
01:17:35
isn't it oh yeah I mean he he's a super
01:17:38
impressive player for sure um so so for
01:17:41
Steve Williams now what does like an
01:17:42
average day or week look like yeah so I
01:17:46
still keep uh very busy we've had my
01:17:49
foundation running for quite a number of
01:17:50
years and that and um I'm running a big
01:17:53
charity event at um Paradise Valley
01:17:56
Speedway in RH uh in December where
01:17:59
we've got 12 Motorsports celebrities
01:18:02
driving super stock cars got Hayden
01:18:04
Patton Greg Murphy Andre heimgartner
01:18:07
Aaron slight a whole bunch of guys
01:18:09
driving
01:18:10
superstocks um which they've never done
01:18:12
before and it's a charity meeting so
01:18:14
I've been putting that together and um
01:18:17
my son is a professional scooter rider
01:18:20
which is a sport that not many people
01:18:22
realize it's a professional SP or yeah
01:18:24
we had this check before we sat down so
01:18:25
he's 17 and we're not talking like lime
01:18:28
scooters with the motors we're talking
01:18:30
like the the little um Chrome Razor
01:18:31
scooters yeah they're not quite Razor
01:18:33
scooters but that they're similar to
01:18:35
those and they compete in in bowls and
01:18:38
and skate parks ramps and big ramps and
01:18:41
and so forth indoor outdoor skate parks
01:18:43
that so it's a very big sport in Europe
01:18:46
and the United States so to compete he
01:18:49
has to go overseas a lot so we've been
01:18:50
going overseas a lot with him um to to
01:18:53
compete and that's what he wants to do
01:18:54
he's absolutely passionate about it um
01:18:58
and yeah so how how many kids have you
01:19:00
got just the one so he's fortunate
01:19:02
because we with his age myself and my
01:19:06
wife have to go with him um you know he
01:19:09
can't go on his own he's not probably
01:19:11
not as worldly as his dad was but how
01:19:13
how old are you now I'm 60 so um J
01:19:17
you're you're you're still looking fit
01:19:19
and you must from all the travel you did
01:19:21
you must have like so many banked years
01:19:23
with air points and things yeah yeah so
01:19:26
but um no you know you keep yourself
01:19:28
busy there's always always something on
01:19:30
the go it's your relationship with your
01:19:32
son good I'm guessing you missed you
01:19:33
probably missed a lot in the very early
01:19:35
years right yeah yeah look it it it it's
01:19:37
great to uh like he he he's um I guess
01:19:43
he's a chip off the old block a little
01:19:45
bit he's he's very very dedicated to
01:19:47
what he does and he's he's fortunate
01:19:50
that he's you know he's a very good
01:19:52
athlete whatever sport he's taken up um
01:19:54
he's been very good at but he's taken a
01:19:56
huge liking to the scootering and my
01:19:59
wife and I didn't really know anything
01:20:00
about it uh we didn't know it was a
01:20:02
professional sport and you can do it
01:20:04
overseas um and through one thing or
01:20:07
another taking him um he won the New
01:20:09
Zealand Champs here a couple years in a
01:20:12
row and then went overseas and you know
01:20:14
he's been going good overseas so um it's
01:20:17
a sport that requires a lot of
01:20:18
dedication a lot of training and he's
01:20:20
he's up to the task um so my wife and I
01:20:23
are thrilled to be part of his journey
01:20:26
and it's good
01:20:28
having had a lot of Knowledge from
01:20:30
various amount of sports people that
01:20:31
I've not only worked for but been around
01:20:34
and you know you have a fairly good
01:20:36
understanding of what it takes to be
01:20:38
good at something and what's required
01:20:39
and that so scootering is a sport that I
01:20:42
know nothing about so it's quite good
01:20:44
just to sort of work with him on sort of
01:20:47
the mental side of it and the strategy
01:20:49
um but to you know to watch your son
01:20:52
compete um at something that you know
01:20:55
he's passionate about and very good at
01:20:57
so yeah know we're pretty excited about
01:20:59
he his ultimate goal he wants to be the
01:21:01
best in the world so um he just recently
01:21:04
returned from the world Champs and he
01:21:05
finished 10th in that so U we're pretty
01:21:08
stok with that he was stok with that as
01:21:10
well um you know he's only starting out
01:21:12
in the sport so he's he's he's on the
01:21:15
right track so yeah my wife she looks
01:21:18
after him and and get gets all them
01:21:20
organized so yeah yeah how did how did
01:21:22
you guys meet you in Kirsty um I was
01:21:26
having a charity event uh from for our
01:21:28
foundation at w and ey Golf Club um on
01:21:31
the cavity Coast Kirsty was a member
01:21:33
there and she was playing in a team uh
01:21:36
there and that's how we met so um I
01:21:39
guess it's one of those things love it
01:21:40
first s side of kind really yeah and
01:21:42
then like you know you've got to have
01:21:45
someone that's very understanding of
01:21:47
what you do and what's required and the
01:21:49
pressure involved in that but you know I
01:21:52
think every body every good sports
01:21:55
person knows that you've got to find the
01:21:57
right person that understands what
01:21:59
you're trying to accomplish and you know
01:22:01
I guess sometimes that person has to
01:22:02
take a little bit of a backseat to let
01:22:05
you do what you want to do incompl
01:22:07
because they got to make sacrifices and
01:22:08
you know it's a pretty special person
01:22:10
that makes sacrifices and yeah and she
01:22:12
must have made so many sacrifices so now
01:22:14
when you get off the phone from say like
01:22:16
Adam or Ryan or whoever and they're
01:22:18
asking you to come back for one more
01:22:19
round you have to like take a deep
01:22:20
breath before you go hey kiry
01:22:23
oh so I was just wondering yeah that's
01:22:25
exactly how it
01:22:27
goes but then like if you if you if it's
01:22:30
if it's somewhere nice like you know
01:22:31
maybe the tor's on the Gold Coast or
01:22:33
it's down in Queenstown well it's good
01:22:34
because it's fun for all of us yeah yeah
01:22:36
yeah off here um oh you mentioned your
01:22:38
this charity event that you're running
01:22:40
before yeah we haven't even got on to
01:22:41
that yet you've um I mean you've made a
01:22:43
lot of money over the years I think for
01:22:44
a time there you were you were
01:22:46
recognized as New Zealand's highest paid
01:22:48
sports person so or high earning more
01:22:51
than any other sports person in newal
01:22:52
but you're also very alteristic um yeah
01:22:55
a $1 million donation to Starship in
01:22:58
2008 yeah I mean people have always you
01:23:02
know seem fixated on the
01:23:04
money um but you don't you don't when
01:23:07
you you know I've CED since I was you
01:23:10
know since 1976 when I was 13 years of
01:23:12
age and it was never about the money
01:23:14
it's about a game that you love I'd love
01:23:16
the game of golf and I love catting and
01:23:19
it's just fortunate that you get to be
01:23:21
good at what you do and and and the
01:23:22
money comes along with it but it was
01:23:24
never ever about the money for me I and
01:23:26
it never has been and that and yeah it's
01:23:29
like um my wife came up with a very good
01:23:32
project um that the Starship oncology
01:23:36
unit needed was needed a founding donor
01:23:39
to start their rebuild program to get
01:23:40
the ball rolling and that and um yeah we
01:23:43
we we we pledged a million dollars to
01:23:45
get that ball rolling and you know it's
01:23:47
fortunate to be able to give that kind
01:23:49
of money away and you know I'm not a
01:23:52
person person that needs a lot of money
01:23:54
so yes it's a lot of money but it's also
01:23:56
you know if someone ask me what's your
01:23:59
career highlight I'd say it's that you
01:24:02
know to be able to walk into that
01:24:04
oncology unit at the Starship hospital
01:24:05
and it has my wife and curs in my myself
01:24:08
name on top of the unit there um yeah
01:24:12
we're that's something probably more
01:24:14
proud of than anything to be honest oh
01:24:16
no sh as well you should be as well
01:24:18
because I mean it's not like it's not
01:24:19
like your you know it's not like your
01:24:22
abil or anything so a million dollar is
01:24:24
um a million dollar is a lot of money
01:24:25
for anyone a million dollar is a lot of
01:24:27
money for TIG woods but you know a
01:24:29
million dollars for Steven Kirsty Woods
01:24:30
of wuku is it's a good thing you did
01:24:34
it's a bloody good thing it it is a good
01:24:35
thing but it helps a lot of people you
01:24:38
know and um you know we've had so many
01:24:41
people come up to us and say you know
01:24:43
that that unit is so good now compared
01:24:46
to what it used to be and uh we thank
01:24:48
you so much for that and that but um you
01:24:50
my wife and I it was her idea
01:24:53
and um yeah it's a substantial amount of
01:24:55
money we know that but it's great to be
01:24:58
able to do that you know yeah and and
01:25:02
New Zealand order of Merit you got
01:25:03
acknowledged on that as well was that
01:25:04
for the donation or was that for
01:25:06
services to golf yeah that was I think
01:25:08
it was just a bit of everything you know
01:25:10
um we we we've through my Foundation
01:25:13
that we've supported a lot of Junior
01:25:14
golfers throughout the country and we've
01:25:16
been heavily involved in in Speedway and
01:25:19
you know all youth Speedway uh through
01:25:22
the foundation and and um yeah and then
01:25:26
our association with the Starship
01:25:28
hospital so yeah that's a sort of bit of
01:25:31
a humbling thing to get made in order to
01:25:33
Merit thing so yeah does yeah do you
01:25:36
care about it well yeah absolutely it's
01:25:39
just nice that you you know like you
01:25:42
mentioned to me a little earlier about
01:25:44
you know Earl Woods Tiger's father one
01:25:48
thing that he was instrumental with is
01:25:50
that he said Steve when you carry my son
01:25:53
tiger you're going to become very famous
01:25:56
yourself I don't like that word people
01:25:58
say you're famous I don't I like the
01:26:00
more the term of you know well-known I
01:26:02
don't like that word I don't think
01:26:04
anyone's famous some people are just
01:26:05
more wellknown than others but he said
01:26:08
Steve you're going to be very well known
01:26:11
and this is where the idea of the
01:26:13
foundation came along uh he said you
01:26:15
know you'll have the opportunity to make
01:26:16
some difference in some other people's
01:26:18
lives and that and um yeah he was he was
01:26:21
amazing to talked it I I guess had never
01:26:24
had the idea of what what a foundation
01:26:27
was how you run a foundation and that so
01:26:29
my wife and I um took that on board and
01:26:32
and she got the ball rolling
01:26:35
um and we went to gizman Speedway on
01:26:40
boxing day one year every day I'd go
01:26:43
every year we we'd have a circuit around
01:26:45
Christmas time and uh we were driving to
01:26:47
gisburn and my on Christmas day which my
01:26:51
wife hated and right rightfully so so I
01:26:53
could go and you know do my Speedway
01:26:56
passion and and she said um you know
01:27:00
what we going to do she said tomorrow
01:27:02
morning we're going to we're going to go
01:27:03
into the warehouse and we're going to
01:27:04
get all these boxes of chocolates and
01:27:06
we're going to go into one of the local
01:27:08
hospitals there and hand them out to all
01:27:09
the kids well that's great and we did
01:27:11
that and that was so rewarding
01:27:14
absolutely rewarding and and the next
01:27:16
night we after we' raced in gizman we
01:27:18
were driving to napia for the next race
01:27:20
meeting and my wife was looking on how
01:27:23
on different things and that and she
01:27:25
came across how the the Starship
01:27:27
hospital was needing a founding donor to
01:27:29
get this you know when they set up a
01:27:32
project that they get a founding donor
01:27:34
to set to to set the um the bar started
01:27:38
to raise the money for the project that
01:27:40
and that's how it started so it's all my
01:27:42
wife and we got that and that's how how
01:27:44
it started were you ever acknowledged by
01:27:47
the um you know the hellig foundation or
01:27:48
the hellig sports awards over all your
01:27:51
years um is there an award for like um
01:27:53
sporting support or ad some sort of
01:27:55
administration no not not through that
01:27:58
piss you off no no absolutely not I mean
01:28:00
I've you know I've been got the well
01:28:02
been the Wellington Sports person of the
01:28:04
year the cap Sports person of the year
01:28:06
the cadd Hall of Fame all that kind of
01:28:08
it's you don't you don't you're not
01:28:10
doing it to make money you're not doing
01:28:13
it to get recognition you're doing it
01:28:14
because you love the game that's I just
01:28:16
love golf I've been on a the golf course
01:28:18
you know since I was 5 years old I just
01:28:20
love the game I mean it wouldn't make
01:28:22
any difference to me whether not k for
01:28:24
TIG Woods Adam Scott Ray Floyd grigor
01:28:26
who I just love being on the golf course
01:28:28
you know you have as much fun catting
01:28:30
for a weekend hacker as it is to a pro
01:28:33
you know Ian I just love catting it's
01:28:35
hard to
01:28:36
explain where the love and how much I
01:28:39
loved catting
01:28:40
yeah oh that's so special yeah yeah
01:28:43
that's really cool yeah I mean yeah I
01:28:45
and I believe you when you say that like
01:28:47
it'd be easy to sit here and go oh this
01:28:49
guy's he's a disgruntled golfer you know
01:28:51
there's is saying if you can't do it
01:28:53
teach but I I genuinely believe you yeah
01:28:56
you love being on the bag yeah I mean I
01:28:57
look I I was as a junior I was you know
01:29:01
pretty decent myself I was on a two
01:29:02
handicap when I was 13 so there's
01:29:04
nothing to suggest that maybe I couldn't
01:29:06
have been a golf pro I mean I played
01:29:08
rugby at the highest level I could play
01:29:09
when I was a kid played the New Zealand
01:29:11
school boys um you know when I was 12
01:29:15
years old and that so I played that game
01:29:16
at the at the highest level that I could
01:29:18
achieve um and then but the C was
01:29:22
something you know it's when you you
01:29:24
know you I was almost embarrassed when I
01:29:26
first started cting in my early teenage
01:29:28
years to tell people I was a golf Cy
01:29:30
because nobody knew anything about
01:29:32
it you're what you're a golf caddy what
01:29:35
is that you know I used to live in
01:29:37
devonport then they' say Oh do you C it
01:29:40
why a
01:29:42
matter yeah yeah I ride my bike down
01:29:44
every day and I C it why a matter but it
01:29:47
just I got to the point I didn't tell
01:29:49
people I was a Cy for a long time that
01:29:50
because no one knew anything about about
01:29:52
it and they seem they it was just such a
01:29:54
strange thing to say because they didn't
01:29:55
know anyone like if you say I'm a
01:29:57
mechanic I'm a bulldozer driver truck
01:29:59
driver electrician computer it guy what
01:30:02
it might be you know someone that does
01:30:03
it yeah it's it's tangible yeah yeah but
01:30:05
you tell someone you're a cat it's like
01:30:07
what's that and and have you got any
01:30:09
memorabilia from that time like your
01:30:10
white um overalls from the Mages you
01:30:13
kept any of them or you just given
01:30:14
everything away for charity auctions
01:30:16
yeah I mean I'm not a big person on
01:30:18
memorabilia and people find that
01:30:20
fascinating if you walked into our house
01:30:22
you would have no idea that I ever
01:30:24
worked as a golf C there's not one bit
01:30:26
of memorability anywhere only like a man
01:30:30
cave or a games room well yeah I I do
01:30:33
but nobody goes in it any me
01:30:37
but a typical thing that caddies do is
01:30:40
keep the flags you know when the player
01:30:42
wins the tournament you remove the flag
01:30:43
off the pole and keep that and you get
01:30:46
the player to sign it and so forth so
01:30:47
that's one thing I've done I've kept all
01:30:49
the flags but um a lot of guys have an
01:30:53
enormous amount of memorabilia you know
01:30:55
I've been fortunate to C in the rider
01:30:57
cup a lot of times and and the
01:30:58
President's Cup a lot of time and um
01:31:01
yeah I've I've kept none of the
01:31:03
memorabilia I'm just not you know that's
01:31:05
just not me sort of thing yeah so what's
01:31:07
in what's in your man cave at home you
01:31:08
got the the flags on the wall yeah just
01:31:10
the flags and and from the Masters well
01:31:13
all all the torans you know like you
01:31:16
know you know I've kept every flag from
01:31:18
every T I've W you so it's a lot of
01:31:20
flags why does no one go in there do you
01:31:23
not lead anyone in there or is it just
01:31:25
your own special space Oh look I a good
01:31:27
question you know you just that's a very
01:31:31
good question I don't know I I I think
01:31:32
I'd have um I'd have Goosebumps standing
01:31:34
in that space like the stuff that you
01:31:36
guys did together it's it's phenomenal
01:31:38
as we've established time and time again
01:31:39
it's never going to be repeated yeah
01:31:41
yeah no look I mean you keep all the
01:31:43
best memories in your head so that's
01:31:45
kind of what I've done that but um but
01:31:47
as we get older the head's not so
01:31:48
reliable oh you've got that
01:31:50
right
01:31:52
any any um any regrets or anything you
01:31:55
do differently oh apart from not talking
01:31:58
about um that partt to Ray Floyd yeah I
01:32:00
mean ultimately I I guess I probably you
01:32:04
know to make life easier on myself I
01:32:06
should have moved to America and lived
01:32:08
in America because traveling back and
01:32:10
forth um was definitely difficult but
01:32:13
you know when you I'm passionate about
01:32:15
New Zealand I love everything about New
01:32:17
Zealand and you know every time I when
01:32:21
the plane
01:32:22
touchdown at home when I come back from
01:32:24
America I always had this tingling
01:32:26
sensation that you know just like oh I'm
01:32:28
home now you know I don't know just love
01:32:30
new but no I wouldn't change anything I
01:32:31
mean I I I love the game of golf I'm
01:32:34
fortunate to been in it my whole entire
01:32:36
life and um yeah it's been great me a
01:32:39
lot of great people car for a lot of
01:32:40
great players and then you know been up
01:32:42
hand up close to arguably the guy that's
01:32:44
played golf at the highest level and
01:32:46
we'll never see another guy like Tiger
01:32:48
Woods I don't think there's any argument
01:32:49
about it yeah not not not just a great
01:32:51
golfer but like one of those um well
01:32:54
he's got one name you know this Madonna
01:32:57
Oprah tiger yeah yeah you know like just
01:33:00
a just a generation defining athlete
01:33:03
it's amazing and you were there like I
01:33:05
think for a lot of guys that are into
01:33:06
golf like the their bucketless thing
01:33:08
would be to you go and walk around
01:33:10
Augusta but you're talking about being
01:33:11
in the the gallery with thousands of
01:33:13
other people walking from hole to hole
01:33:15
you were on you were the guy on the fway
01:33:17
for years and years and years you know
01:33:19
front row seat to the best golfer in the
01:33:21
world yeah look I mean it's only when
01:33:24
you step away from it it's only been
01:33:26
probably in the last couple years since
01:33:28
I've retired that and
01:33:30
because when you're cting you know
01:33:32
you're always on to the next week
01:33:34
doesn't matter who you're catting for
01:33:35
you're on to the next tourament that and
01:33:37
you're always trying to work out how we
01:33:38
can get better how how you know what can
01:33:40
we do to get better this week and so
01:33:42
forth I always big on on stats and
01:33:44
keeping my own kind of stats as to all
01:33:47
the different shots of players hitting
01:33:48
that and how you can improve and sort of
01:33:50
thing but it's only been since since
01:33:51
I've stepped away from the game a little
01:33:53
bit that I've had time to reflect um you
01:33:56
know on the on the journey and you know
01:33:59
obviously been fortunate to car for some
01:34:01
good players but you know in particular
01:34:02
the car for the guy that's arguably the
01:34:07
greatest player that's ever played the
01:34:09
game and arguably one of the greatest
01:34:11
sport stars ever um to be have the front
01:34:14
row seat and be part of that is is very
01:34:17
special and something that um is very
01:34:19
memorable obviously yeah actually
01:34:21
actually not just a front row seat but
01:34:23
you know like an advisor role as well
01:34:25
like part of the success yeah yeah well
01:34:27
I mean it's good because we had such a
01:34:29
great relationship and that and and and
01:34:31
you know there there's several Ts that
01:34:33
you know I was adamant on the last hole
01:34:35
that you know I know what I'm talking
01:34:38
about here T you just got to trust me
01:34:40
and that and and you know he'd go with
01:34:41
that and um you know win the Tor so you
01:34:44
know he he um you know like his
01:34:49
generosity and his thankfulness
01:34:53
was amazing how you know that that went
01:34:55
with him yeah what did it like a bonus
01:34:57
look like or a Christmas present oh look
01:34:59
I mean he invited um my whole family not
01:35:03
just myself but my mom and dad the whole
01:35:05
the whole nine yards to take his boat
01:35:07
for a week wherever he wanted to you
01:35:09
like yeah so um little a little tinny a
01:35:13
little
01:35:15
Runabout yeah so he's got a he's got an
01:35:18
amazing boat and we yeah was it called
01:35:20
privacy
01:35:22
yeah so we had we we took that to the
01:35:24
Caribbean for a week and you know lived
01:35:25
large for a week on that and that and um
01:35:28
you God he's chucked me the keys to a
01:35:30
couple of different cars and you know it
01:35:32
just like a you know when you work with
01:35:35
somebody and you have have big success
01:35:37
he made you feel pretty special too
01:35:39
which was nice yeah that's great and
01:35:41
who's Fred Fred
01:35:43
Rama um I'm a big sprint car fan um
01:35:47
obviously you know I raced myself for
01:35:50
number of years but I I follow follow
01:35:51
Sprint car racing big time uh and Freddy
01:35:54
Ramo is a Hall of Famer Sprint car
01:35:56
driver out of Pennsylvania and he's he's
01:35:58
my number one guy he's actually retired
01:36:00
now and his two he his two sons race but
01:36:04
um for a number of years uh I frequented
01:36:06
or not every year I go and see the rers
01:36:09
out of Pennsylvania the Sprint car team
01:36:11
and I'm passionate about I love Sprint
01:36:14
car racing please tell me you've got a
01:36:15
selfie with
01:36:17
Freddie actually I do have a photo with
01:36:19
Freddy and
01:36:22
yeah I'd never driven I'd never driven a
01:36:25
Sprint car I I drove s saloons and super
01:36:27
saloons back in New Zealand here and
01:36:29
every year I go to the racetrack with
01:36:31
them and that and and and one night he
01:36:32
he made me drive the car after the race
01:36:35
meeting and that so that was pretty
01:36:36
exciting got some pretty cool but uh
01:36:39
yeah and was quite surprised to got this
01:36:41
car up the speed quite quickly so I was
01:36:43
pretty impressed with that yeah well how
01:36:45
good hey well thank you so much for
01:36:46
coming over today and coming on the
01:36:47
podcast I've probably taken up enough of
01:36:49
your time I could pick your brains and
01:36:50
listen to your stories folks for days um
01:36:53
yeah it's amazing what a career what a
01:36:55
life yeah no look it's great to be on
01:36:57
your podcast then I know it's hugely
01:36:59
popular podcast my fan my wife is a big
01:37:01
fan of yours so when I told her that I
01:37:03
was coming in she's pretty excited but
01:37:05
uh yeah look it's nice to share you know
01:37:08
your your story with others and you know
01:37:10
I'm I'm a big person and believing that
01:37:12
anything's achievable I always wanted to
01:37:15
be a caddy and I always wanted to cadd
01:37:17
in the major championships and and and I
01:37:19
was successful in doing that and I'm a
01:37:20
great believer in I think uh you know
01:37:22
too too many young people get told by
01:37:25
others that you know you can't do this
01:37:27
you can't do that everything is
01:37:28
achievable that's what I'm a great
01:37:30
believer in telling kids that if you if
01:37:33
you believe you can do something and and
01:37:35
you are dedicated to the task you can do
01:37:38
anything um so and I'm that's exactly
01:37:40
the same sentiment that with my son that
01:37:42
he wants to be the best scooter ride in
01:37:44
the world well if you put your mind to
01:37:45
it and you do what it takes to get there
01:37:47
you can do it and that applies to any
01:37:49
kid any sport that they do so I I love
01:37:51
telling kids that you know you've got to
01:37:53
Dream High and one of my big things is
01:37:56
uh and and this probably came from
01:37:58
Tigers like the day that I went to
01:38:00
interview with Ty not interview but talk
01:38:02
about cting for him you know he he had
01:38:04
one list he had two lists on his wall
01:38:07
one is all Jack Nicholas's achievement
01:38:10
through his amateur career his pro
01:38:11
career and on the other side tiger had
01:38:14
up until the time where he was where he
01:38:15
had matched Jack and that so you know he
01:38:17
knew Jack was The Benchmark and and he
01:38:19
was you know trying to of that
01:38:22
throughout every stage of his career and
01:38:24
I'm huge on writing down goals and um
01:38:28
you know my son does that he he does it
01:38:30
daily weekly monthly yearly and I I tell
01:38:33
all kids in that um that's what you want
01:38:35
to do is write your goals down so that
01:38:37
you can see them every day what am I
01:38:38
trying to achieve today what is it I'm
01:38:40
trying to achieve this week this month
01:38:42
and this year and and you know you give
01:38:44
yourself a pat on the bat you celebrate
01:38:46
when you succeed and then when you don't
01:38:47
you work harder you know when you
01:38:49
haven't got to where you can why didn't
01:38:50
I get there evaluate why I didn't get
01:38:53
there work harder to get to the next
01:38:54
level and yeah so um yeah fortunate to
01:38:59
worked for some very good athletes and
01:39:00
had the opportunity to talk to a number
01:39:03
of leading athletes in other sports
01:39:05
because of the people that I've been
01:39:06
associated with and I haven't you know
01:39:08
I've picked their brains and um got a
01:39:11
lot of good information yeah it's funny
01:39:12
I'm I'm guessing one of the one of the
01:39:14
common threads you found with all those
01:39:15
people whether it's um you know Jack
01:39:17
Nicholas Jordan whoever it's hard work
01:39:20
there there's nothing replaces hard work
01:39:22
and that's what you know the superow
01:39:24
that's what people don't realize like
01:39:26
you know catting for someone like Tiger
01:39:28
Woods is obviously an enjoyable job but
01:39:30
the hard work that he puts in the
01:39:32
practice that he put in the dedication
01:39:34
that he put in and the drills that he
01:39:36
had out that he had to do every day to
01:39:38
succeed in what he wanted to do you
01:39:40
don't see that kind of work I mean
01:39:41
everybody it doesn't matter what the
01:39:43
tigle was everybody that gets the top is
01:39:46
on the sport what is the common thread
01:39:47
well it's hard work and dedication sure
01:39:49
you got to have talent I mean every
01:39:51
everybody's got to have talent but
01:39:52
you've got you've got to be so dedicated
01:39:54
to the task and you you can't replace
01:39:56
hard work I mean Michael Jordan will
01:39:57
tell you that you know I mean like he I
01:40:00
I love talking to him about you know the
01:40:03
practice and you know Eric Murray I
01:40:05
don't know if you've had Eric on the
01:40:07
podcast he was great um and and he he's
01:40:09
a great guy to talk to my son was
01:40:11
involved in rowing and that and you know
01:40:13
Eric said I was unorthodox might not
01:40:15
been the biggest guy not might have been
01:40:17
the strongest guy but I outworked every
01:40:19
guy and when I got onto that onto the
01:40:21
you know the
01:40:23
starting um and the boys to start and
01:40:26
I'd look across here he'd know that i'
01:40:28
he he knew that he'd worked harder than
01:40:30
all of them and I'm going to beat you
01:40:31
because I've worked harder and that's
01:40:33
you know there's just no substitute for
01:40:35
hard work it it is quite disappointing
01:40:36
when you realize natural Talent is sort
01:40:38
of a myth like there can be a certain
01:40:41
level of natural talent but without hard
01:40:42
work you're not going to get anywhere
01:40:44
yeah some some guys are gifted W with
01:40:46
some natural talent I mean I for Adam
01:40:48
Scott there he's probably one of the
01:40:49
most naturally gifted golfers there ever
01:40:52
has been but has he has he further you
01:40:55
know could he have been better with hard
01:40:57
work absolutely yeah so well one one
01:41:00
final question so I'm from um I'm I'm 10
01:41:02
years younger than you but I'm from
01:41:03
paliston North and we used to go down to
01:41:05
Patu quite a bit and there was a hydr
01:41:07
slide there on the waterfront and um m
01:41:10
one day there was a a myth that came
01:41:11
around this is pre- Internet that
01:41:13
someone had put razor blades in there
01:41:14
and some kid had got cut to ribbons and
01:41:16
after that day we weren't allowed to go
01:41:17
on that hydr slide anymore um with your
01:41:19
local knowledge were there ever any
01:41:21
razor blades on that Hydra slide well
01:41:24
yeah did you hear that rumor that that
01:41:27
uh sadly was a very true story and of
01:41:29
course that actually yeah yeah and and
01:41:31
but the great thing is that slide's no
01:41:33
longer there there's a skat park
01:41:36
there we'll leave it at that okay
01:41:38
awesome all right hey Steve Williams
01:41:40
you're a great New Zealander thanks so
01:41:41
much for your time today mate I really
01:41:42
appreciate it it's been an honor yeah
01:41:44
awesome now great to be on it good luck
01:41:45
for the the show and U yeah I'll be
01:41:47
listening to your next guest