Williams takes a step too many

Post by Sports Writer, Derek Clements

STEVE WILLIAMS carried the clubs of Tiger Woods to 13 major victories. In the process, Williams earned in the region of $10m - no other caddie has come close to earning anything like this amount of money.

Let's be clear about something. Williams was and is a good caddie. But, at the end of it all, this is a man who carries a bag of golf clubs for a living. Rocket science it is not. And had it not been for Williams professional relationship with Woods then you would never have heard of the New Zealander.

He has just published a book. It's called Out of the Rough, and the only reason you would ever want to buy it is to read about his relationship with his illustrious employer. You may remember that Woods sacked him and he was then lucky enough to get the bag of Adam Scott. After Scott's first victory with Williams as his caddie, you may remember that the bagman announced it was the best win of his career - that ought to give you a flavour of the tone of his book.

One of the most sickening aspects of the aftermath of that Scott victory was Williams being interviewed by the media. They simply gave him a platform to air his bitterness towards Woods. And he didn't win with Scott, just as he didn't win any of the 13 majors that Woods secured while employing him - he just carried their clubs, and he was handsomely rewarded for doing so.

He wasn't happy about being dismissed by Woods but, let's face it, golfers and caddies part company all the time, and Williams had one hell of a run with one of the best golfers the world has ever seen.

For him to accuse Woods of treating him like a slave is, frankly, laughable. For him to further state that he was deeply offended by Woods' habit of throwing golf clubs in his direction makes him sound like the sensitive soul we all know he has never been. Williams regularly shouted at fans of all ages (and still does), ordering them to keep quiet, get out of the way, turn their cameras off etc. He has had stand-up rows with spectators of all ages, and with professional cameramen and no matter how much he may protest otherwise, he did it because he deemed that it was part of his job, and not because his boss ordered him to. Furthermore, he did it with such zest that it is easy to assume he enjoyed it.

Williams also says in his book that he disliked Woods' habit of spitting on the green near the hole. What he actually says is that he disapproved of Woods spitting in the hole, but he most surely be getting confused with Sergio Garcia. Sure, Woods spits a lot, but does anybody ever recall seeing him doing it in the hole? If Williams hated it so much, why didn't he say something to Woods who is, after all, the most fined golfer in PGA Tour history?

The caddie insists that he knew nothing about Woods' philandering. Woods must waken up every day thanking his lucky stars about that because you can be certain that if Williams did know then every spit and cough would be recorded in this awful book.

These are the reminiscences of a bitter and twisted individual. It is beyond belief that any publisher was willing to touch it with a barge pole because one of the great unwritten rules in professional golf is that whatever happens between a golfer and a caddie stays on the course, even when they part company. It is for sure that Fanny Sunesson would have had plenty she could have revealed about Nick Faldo. Colin Montgomerie frequently used Alastair McLean as a verbal punchbag.

Have you ever heard Sunesson or McLean say a bad word about Faldo or Monty? Did you ever hear any of Seve Ballesteros' many, many ex-caddies rip into the Spaniard? The answer is no, no and no. And that is because they respected the golfers who employed them. It is a shame that Williams doesn't have that same respect. Adam Scott, you have been warned - do not ever sack this man!

Image credit - kevindiss.com