DUBLIN, OH — Tiger Woods and Brooks Koepka walk from the ninth tee during the second round of The Memorial Tournament on July 17, 2020, at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio. | Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images
Williams, the long-time caddie for Tiger Woods, dropped a remarkable quote pertaining to Brooks Koepka’s ability that you won’t believe.
Before Brooks Koepka won any major championships, Steve Williams, Tiger Woods’ old caddie, made a remarkable comparison.
“Once in a great while, a player comes along who hits a golf ball the way it was meant to be hit. Powerful, piercing, the perfect trajectory,” Williams said to Golf Digest in 2015. “Of the young players out there, one I’ve seen hit that special ball flight: Brooks Koepka.”
At that time, Adam Scott, the Australian, had Williams on the bag as his looper. Scott also won the Masters in 2013, and had the distinction of being one of the best players on the planet.
Of course, Williams caddied for Woods throughout his peak, as he caddied for the 15-time major champion for over a decade.
He knows good golf when he sees it.
“Adam and I were paired with him at the Open Championship last year, and from his first tee shot on, I thought, this kid is special,” Williams noted. “He’s searching to find the other pieces of the puzzle, but I haven’t seen a ball flight like that since Tiger, and before that Johnny Miller.”
Golf pundits have labeled Woods as one of the greatest players of all time. Players and experts alike have called him the greatest ball striker ever too.
Photo by Simon Bruty/Anychance/Getty Images
BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA — Steve Williams (left) and Tiger Woods (right) look on during the EMC World Cup of Golf at Buenos Aires Golf Coarse, Buenos Aires, Argentina on December 10, 2000.
There are similar sentiments about Miller, who won the 1973 U.S. Open at Oakmont and the 1976 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.
But for Williams to say this about Koepka, two years before he won his first major championship, makes the long-time caddy look more like a prophet than a looper.
Since 2017, Koepka has won five major championships, the most of any player in that span. That includes captivating audiences this past weekend on his way to a third PGA Championship victory.
Additionally, only Woods and Phil Mickelson have won more majors since 1990.
Koepka arrived at Oak Hill on a mission, looking to win his first major since 2019. He played well at the 2023 Masters but collapsed on Sunday and finished four shots behind Jon Rahm.
Nonetheless, no player was better than Koepka was in Rochester. He led the field at the 2023 PGA Championship in strokes gained overall. He also made 18 birdies, tied with Poland’s Adrian Meronk for the most in the championship.
Koepka has vaulted himself into legendary status with his most recent triumph. He still has a ways to go before catching Woods, but Brooks Koepka can now claim the title of the most accomplished player in the post-Tiger era.
