Sure, here’s a rewritten version of the article:
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So, Steve Williams, you know, that guy who was caddying for Tiger Woods – he responded super fast when asked a pretty spicy question. He threw in the word “unparalleled.” Fancy.
The burning question was: Who did Tiger see as his rival? I mean, this is the kind of stuff you ponder when life gets too quiet. Woods, with his own kind of golfing universe, might’ve had no rivals, but we can’t help but assume maybe Phil Mickelson or even Vijay Singh could’ve been contenders. They snagged a bunch of major titles in the same era Woods was busy winning his 15.
But then Williams throws a curveball. Apparently, Tiger might’ve picked the chap with 13 PGA wins and the 2001 Open Championship trophy – David Duval. Yeah, wrap your head around that.
On the GOLF’s “Subpar” podcast – which you can totally check out by clicking here, if you want – Williams spilled the beans. “David Duval, unparalleled,” he blurted. Tiger reckoned David had the juice to match him toe to toe, every week, battling for the big crown.
It was a bit of a flash-in-the-pan thing, though. Duval hit his prime, nailed some big wins, but then made some wild changes to his physique. It threw off his groove in a big way, and it took ages to find that spark again. Yet, he was the dude Tiger respected most, the one he saw as real competition.
Colt Knost, co-hosting on “Subpar,” chimed in about how some of the quieter guys managed to rattle Tiger in major tournaments. Makes you think, right? Williams had a theory. He said, when normal folks play against Tiger, the pressure’s off in a weird way. Like, no one’s betting on them. They’re fresh and they rise up. Meanwhile, the regulars like Phil or Vijay? Oh, they faced him all the time, and Tiger often came out on top. It’s like if someone’s constantly getting the better of you, you almost start expecting it. Wild, right?
Ernie Els, what a player he was! But even he couldn’t often take Tiger down. There’s something about facing a person frequently, and always losing, that just gets into your head. And somehow, it’s the under-the-radar guys that keep you guessing and, well, put Tiger to the true test.
