It ended Wednesday with a stock line from Woods that players
use when firing a caddie — "It's time for a change." The announcement
on his website only deepened the mystery around Woods, who has fallen to No. 20
in the world rankings and hasn't played since May because of injuries to his
left leg that first were described as "minor." In the 20 months since
Woods was caught having multiple extramarital affairs, he has lost four major
sponsors, changed swing coaches, was divorced from his wife and now has cut
loose his long-serving caddie.
"I want to express my deepest gratitude to Stevie for
all his help, but I think it's time for a change," Woods said.
"Stevie is an outstanding caddie and a friend and has been instrumental in
many of my accomplishments. I wish him great success in the future." Woods
did not say who would replace Williams — one of only two caddies he has employed
on a regular basis — or when he might return to golf.
"Needless to say, this came as a shock," Williams
said in a statement posted on his own website.
Williams, who previously worked for Greg Norman and Raymond
Floyd, worked the last three tournaments for Adam Scott. That included the US
Open and British Open, which Woods skipped while trying to let his left leg
heal.
"A player has the right to fire a caddie at any given
time," Williams told The Associated Press from his summer home in Oregon.
"And for a player when he's not playing at his best for extended period of
time, it's not uncommon to change caddies, coaches, psychologists or bring on a
psychologist. We all know the business. I have no problem being fired. But I'm
disappointed in the timing of it." When asked over the weekend at the
British Open if he was still working for Woods, Williams grinned and said,
"Why would you ask a question like that?" He never answered the
question, but gave no indication that he would not caddie for Woods when he did
return.
Turns out he had known for two weeks, and kept quiet out of
respect for Scott.
Williams, a New Zealander, said he met with Woods in a boardroom
at Aronimink after the final round of the AT&T National on July 3, and
Woods told him they would no longer work together. Williams said they agreed
not to say anything until after the British Open, to keep from being a
distraction to Scott.
More than a caddie, Woods and Williams had been close
friends. Both got engaged while on safari after The Presidents Cup in South
Africa, and they were in each other's weddings. Woods played the New Zealand
Open in 2002 as a favor to Williams (he also received a $2 million appearance
fee), and he took an interest in Williams' racecar driving by taking part in a celebrity
race on the dirt tracks of New Zealand.
The relationship began showing signs of strain after Woods
crashed his car on Thanksgiving night, followed by stunning revelations of
serial adultery.
Despite their friendship, Williams went months without hearing
anything from Woods. And it became awkward at times because Woods' ex-wife and
Williams' wife were close friends. On the golf course, their body language
looked different, and Williams wondered aloud in the spring if the
player-caddie relationship was getting stale.
In recent months, Williams was feeling out of touch during
Woods' rehabilitation. He was not aware that Woods did not plan to compete in
the US Open until after flying to Oregon from New Zealand, where Williams lives
most of the year.
"Given the circumstances of the past 18 months working
through Tiger's scandal, a new coach and with it a major swing change and Tiger
battling through injuries, I am very disappointed to end our very successful
partnership at this time," Williams said on his website.
He declined to say whether Woods gave him a specific reason.
Williams has been labeled a bully over the years while
working for Woods amid a constant circus. At the 2002 Skins Game, he put a
camera into the pond when a photographer snapped a picture in the middle of
Woods' swing on the final hole. At the 2004 US Open, he kicked the lens of a
New York Daily News photographer, and took the camera away from a fan who
turned out to be an off-duty policeman.
He also brought Woods undue attention toward the end of 2008
by making disparaging remarks about Phil Mickelson during a charity dinner in
New Zealand, then repeating them when a reporter called for comment the
following day. Woods intervened and told Williams to apologize.
Williams is only the second caddie that Woods has hired on a
regular basis during his 14-year career on the PGA Tour. He started with Mike
"Fluff" Cowan, whom he fired after the Nissan Open at Riviera in
1999. His childhood friend, Bryon Bell, caddied for Woods when he won the Buick
Invitational in 1999, and Woods gave Bell a chance to "defend" at
Torrey Pines in 2000 when Woods was going for a seventh straight PGA Tour win.
The other professional caddie he has used was Billy Foster
at the 2005 Presidents Cup when Williams stayed home for the birth of his son.
Joe LaCava, the longtime looper for Fred Couples, was supposed to work for
Woods at that Presidents Cup until Couples was a captain's pick.
LaCava left Couples two months ago and now works for Dustin
Johnson.
There was a time that most caddies would drop everything for
a chance to work for Woods, who has had 11 seasons making at least $5 million
on the PGA Tour, and has twice topped $10 million in one season. The demands
are far greater these days, and there is more secrecy than ever in Woods' camp.
On the course, Woods occasionally has shown signs of turning his game around — he
shot 30 on the front nine at the Masters — but still has gone nearly two years
without a PGA Tour win.
