Scottie Scheffler has a considerable way to go if he is to match the career feats of Tiger Woods, but the reigning Masters champion is already mirroring the all-time great in another way. Like Woods, who continues to compete in Major events despite his debilitating injury problems, the world No.1 is making his caddie a rich man.
Scheffler, 28, has enjoyed a stellar 2024 season, raking in just short of £50million after sealing his second title at Augusta and the FedEx Cup crown this month.
He also won a further five PGA Tour tournaments, as well as the Olympic gold medal in Paris.
A caddie for a professional player can usually expect to receive a cut of around 10 per cent for a tournament win. It means that Scheffler’s caddie Ted Scott, who began working with the American after splitting from Bubba Watson in 2021, would have made around £2million alone from his FedEx glory.
Scott, 28, recently revealed on the Pardon My Take podcast that he needs to employ an accountant due to the extent of his financial winnings. “We have a girl that helps us pay bills,” he said.
“Basically because I’m a child and I can’t keep track of all that stuff. She quickly took over that job and texts me at the end of each week, saying, ‘Hey, this is how much we’re paying Ted’. I’m like, “That’s great.”
Scott isn’t the only caddie to reap the benefits of working with one of the world’s best though. Back in 2000 Steve Williams, who carried the bags of Woods, was regarded as the highest paid sports star in New Zealand, ahead of the likes of Olympic gold medalist Mark Todd and rugby icon Jonah Lomu.
Williams had started working with Woods in 1999, which proved to be one of his most dominant years as he landed three of his 15 major titles that year alone. They stayed together until 2011, with the 60-year-old now reportedly worth £15.7million.
Their relationship extended beyond financial convenience though. Woods, 48, attended Williams’ wedding in New Zealand in 2005 and also supported his right hand man in his own chosen sport of dirt track racing.
And Williams became renowned for fiercely defending his player from golf fans and journalists during rounds. He once famously reacted to a spectator taking a picture of Woods during his backswing by taking away his camera and hurling it into a nearby lake.
But the pair would split acrimoniously in 2011, following the marriage scandal and first high speed car crash that seemingly derailed the momentum of Woods’ career. Williams publicly expressed his disappointment at the decision, saying: “After 13 years of loyal service needless to say this came as a shock.”
