Steve Williams is serving as caddie whisperer for rising Aussie tour pro (and it’s working)

BRISBANE, Australia — Anthony Quayle lined up a short iron approach to a tucked pin on the 10th green at Royal Queensland Golf Club during round two at the DP World Tour’s Australian PGA Championship, when iconic caddie Steve Williams called him off the shot.

“I told Anthony the wind had changed, and the shot was now playing five yards shorter,” Williams told Golf Digest after the round.

Quayle, a 31-year-old Australian golfer and new member of the European circuit, regrouped with his updated information and flighted a draw against a left-to-right wind over bunkers to close range. He converted the putt for one of six birdies which, with a lone bogey, yielded a 66 that elevated him to nine under par and one shot off the 36-hole leader Kazuma Kobori at the DP World Tour’s 2025-26 season opener.

It was a snapshot of a moment that explains why Williams was one of history’s greatest pro golf whisperers.

Williams delivered advice on far bigger stages during a career looping for Tiger Woods, who he helped to 13 major wins, Adam Scott, a partnership that included his 2013 Masters triumph, as well as years spent with Greg Norman, Ian Baker-Finch and Ray Floyd.

Now retired, Williams, 62, enjoys helping out young tour pros by imparting his wisdom in temporary stints. He is caddieing for Quayle at the Australian PGA and next week’s Australian Open at Royal Melbourne.

Quayle was awestruck at the mental edge he felt at Royal Queensland—the golf course that will hold the 2032 Olympic competition in Brisbane—with the clear and concise guidance of Williams.

Including that moment on the 10th hole at Royal Queensland.

“It’s unbelievable; that trait is so rare,” Quayle said after the round. “I think he is really putting his neck on the line. It’s cool for a player [to see that]. I felt like he wouldn’t be doing it unless he was 100 percent set [sure], and I felt pretty confident as soon as he did. His language and how he delivers the message eliminates any doubt and I felt like that new plan was the only plan and then just executed.”

Quayle, originally from the remote town called Nhulunbuy in Australian Outback portion of the Northern Territory, secured one of three DP World Tour cards for the 2025-26 season via the Australasian tour’s Order of Merit earlier this year. He spent several years on the lucrative Japan Tour before that.

As he prepared to set sail for Europe, Quayle wanted Williams to consult for him during the two DP World Tour co-sanctioned events in Australia.

With a $A2.5 million tournament purse, the Australian PGA is the richest tournament Down Under. Quayle felt 36 holes with Williams had already changed his approach. He’s more focused in practice rounds and spends less time on the course—but treats each shot like it’s in competition.

In the tournament proper, well, Quayle has seen how that is going. He has been in form, with top-10s in all four tournaments on the Australian tour that led into the two big dances: this week’s PGA and next week’s Australian Open.

“I felt like I played really nicely out there,” Quayle said as Williams sat on a chair only yards away writing down statistics from the round, as he did for Woods and every other player he’s caddied for. “I gave myself a lot of chances. Stevie’s going through the stats now … but I think I hit every green except one today. I was 80 meters out in the middle of the fairway, so that one stings a little bit, but everything felt really good. Just feel like we plotted our way around that really nicely.”

Quayle has won two state-level tournaments in Australia, the Queensland Open and PGA. But he wants to step up in Australia’s two biggest championships, considering the stakes are high. Next week’s Australian Open will see the winner invited to play the 2026 Masters at Augusta National, as well as the top three (not already exempt) on the leaderboard receiving a start in the 2026 Open Championship.

“Anthony’s got the game,” Williams said. “[This week is] the first time I’ve seen him play up close and that should he be fortunate enough to get a win at the Australian Open, he’s got the game to play at Augusta. Everybody next week will be excited. It just brings another level to the Australian Open. It’s a fantastic event already and if you look at that Stonehaven Cup through the years, great players have travelled the world and won the Australian Open, like Gary Player, Greg Norman, Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus. It was always considered alongside the Canadian Open, outside of the majors, as one of the most important tournaments in golf.”

Maybe. But there’s still two more rounds at Royal Queensland to go. And Quayle is right where he wants to be.

Editor’s Note: Evin Priest and Steve Williams co-authored the book Together We Roared, about Williams’ 12 years on the bag with Tiger Woods from 1999 to 2011.