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Scott and Williams part ways after three years

Steve Williams helped Adam Scott become the first Australian player to win the Masters © Getty Images

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In a move that has been in the making for months, Adam Scott and caddie Steve Williams have parted ways after a three-plus-year partnership that included the first Masters victory by an Australian golfer.

Williams had considered retiring after Scott's 2013 Masters win and has said he wanted to work just part-time next year. Scott preferred a full-time caddie so they decided to split now, with Scott using the fall to make a decision on how he will proceed.

"My initial plan for the future was to reduce the amount of tournaments I caddied in,'' Williams said in a statement. "After discussing this in detail with Adam it became evident that my plan was not going to fit with Adam's requirements, so we decided to end our partnership.

"Having caddied for the first Australian to win the Masters is a career highlight and a memory I will cherish forever.''

Scott credited Williams for giving him the proper read on his play-off-winning birdie putt to defeat Angel Cabrera at Augusta National.

Williams is best known for his tenure with Tiger Woods from 1999 to 2011. During that period, Woods won 13 of his 14 major championships. Williams also caddied for the likes of Greg Norman and Raymond Floyd.

A native of New Zealand, Williams began caddying as a teenager and worked for Australian legend Peter Thomson for a time. Earlier this year, he saw Scott to world No.1 for the first time in the player's career.

"Steve has been an integral part of my team in a period where I fulfilled some of my lifetime goals,'' Scott said.

"His dedication and professionalism have been without question, and his friendship is highly valued. Our priorities and stages of life are different now, so we decided that this is the best time to end our partnership.''

This article originally appeared on ESPN.com

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