Stevie On Fanless Masters And Tiger: “It could be really difficult to get the competitive juices flowing"

Evan Priest talks to looping legend Steve Williams about his favorite Masters memories for Golf.com. Eventually the topic returned to his old boss, the defending champion Tiger Woods—and how he might handle next week’s fall Masters.

I do wonder if Tiger’s lackluster showings in the COVID-19 era are impacted by an intangible we cannot ever measure…

Williams himself has reservations about Woods at a November Masters. Cooler temps will make the course play longer, and they won’t be ideal for Tiger’s iffy back. More concerning is that Woods will be in unchartered territory at a gallery-less Augusta. He uses every fiber of the Masters experience — including the tournament’s unrivaled stresses — to his advantage. Without the thousands of patrons and their piercing, adrenaline-pumping and equally nerve-rattling roars, will players feel the pressure?

“It could be really difficult to get the competitive juices flowing,” Williams admits. “When you turn up to a major, they have a different feel from regular PGA Tour events; there is a buzz and an excitement about them. With that element missing, for someone like Tiger who hasn’t played a lot of tournament golf this year, it’ll be hard to get that spark you need. But Tiger is going to give it 110 percent.”