NASSAU, Bahamas — The joke among Jim Williams and his friends back home near Chicago was that the extent of his golf-bag-carrying experience barely covered hauling his own clubs from the truck of his car to the clubhouse.
And so there he was on Wednesday morning, lugging that big tour bag with Tiger Woods’ name on the side while working for the 14-time major champion over four-plus hours at Albany Golf Club during the pro-am for the Hero World Challenge.
From 12 inches of snow in Chicago on Sunday to 75 degrees and humid in the Bahamas on Wednesday, the physical challenge was far outweighed by the experience. And the high price paid at a charity auction was worth it.
“Once in a lifetime,” said Williams, 53, who lives in St. Charles, Ill. “Tiger’s been great. A lot of fun. He’s been great to talk to, about golf, his kids, his family, everything. Easy to talk to, and better than I expected, really. A lot of fun.”
Williams paid for the opportunity in May during Woods’ annual Las Vegas fundraiser called “Tiger Jam,” which raises money for the Tiger Woods Foundation.
It is a weekend of activities that Williams has attended before in his role as president of KSA Lighting and Controls in suburban Chicago. He often brings clients to the event for the golf and entertainment. (He plays to a 12 handicap.)
This year, Williams took part in the live auction, and when the chance to caddie for Woods during the pro-am of Wednesday’s Hero World Challenge became available, he decided he was going to win the prize.
“There were a lot of bidders on it,” Williams said. “The price went up and it was pretty competitive. I’m horrible at live auctions because I don’t like to lose. I wasn’t going to lose no matter how high the stakes were.”
The winning bid: $50,000.
Williams gladly paid it, and relished the experience. Asked what stood out, he said: “Just in general to spend time with him, get to know him and get to see a side most people don’t see. He’s a regular guy. He talked about how difficult it is to go out in public, things like that. But he’s just like us. He gets tired, he needs time away. The foundation is a great cause and it’s been a great experience.”
Woods’ regular caddie, Joe LaCava, gladly gave the bag away for a day, then walked along to discuss strategy as he normally would. Woods complimented Williams by saying “he did a great job, and the main thing is he kept up.”
Never easy to do carrying around all that heavy equipment.
“It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Williams said. “Unless I decide to bid on it again next year.”