Whatever you think of Steve Williams’ outburst last week, he did raise the question of how any of us would get by without a little help from our friends.
To be fair, the Kiwi caddy’s comments after guiding Aussie Adam Scott to convincing victory at the WCG-Bridgestone Invitational lacked class. A whole range of factors combined to create the perfect storm of controversy as the world’s top golfers prepared for this week’s PGA Championship.
Williams’ firing as Tiger Woods’ bagman, the return of Woods from injury, Scott’s emergence as a bona fide title contender and, by no means least, the public and media’s thirst for any new twist to the Woods soap opera ... it was all too good to be true.
Even before the Williams found the microphone thrust under his nose on the 18th green, CBS coverage of the event had put him squarely in the spotlight, picking up and broadcasting much of his dialogue with Scott through the last round.
They set the cunning trap and our guy walked right into it, obviously still smarting from his sudden fallout with Woods.
The response from other golfers was curious. They didn’t seem to have a problem with Williams putting the boot into Woods, only that he claimed just a little too much credit for Scott’s win.
Sure, Scott was the one swinging the clubs. But the CBS intrusion did reveal that the caddy had a huge influence on which clubs were swung and what shots were played.
At one point, Williams called his man off the ball and handed him another club, with which he hit an approach that led to a key birdie. Even the pinpoint final approach on the 18th was achieved only after earnest discussion between the pair.
It was truly a team effort, but how often do you hear a golfer acknowledge his caddy’s contribution? You probably wouldn’t have heard it from Scott this time if the CBS interviewers hadn’t imposed their own agenda on proceedings.
Recently, I was part of a five-person support crew for Aucklander Ron Skelton as he cycled in the Race Across America – 5000km from California to Maryland in 12 days.
No question, Ron was the guy wearing saddle sores 22 hours a day on the bike. But he was also quick to tell anyone listening that the only way Team iRONman could be any stronger was if it had a better rider.
It’s an obvious exaggeration, but it showed two things – Ron was an incredibly caring guy who knew how to inspire his team, even when he was utterly exhausted, and he also knew he couldn’t have finished this race by himself.
This wasn’t just Ron Skelton’s success – it belonged to the team and he was happy to share it. There aren’t many so-called individual sports where you’ll find that selfless attitude.
Boxing might qualify. Even if trainers are largely ignored, fighters seem perfectly willing to thank God (or whichever deity they subscribe to) for getting them through this contest alive.
But maybe the only sport you consistently hear winners giving credit to their mates is motor racing, where drivers will usually compliment their pit crew on a great car.
The other day, I even heard one driver – I think it was Nascar ace Jimmie Johnson – almost in tears, desperately trying to put a positive spin on the fact his crew had clearly dropped the ball and cost him the chequered flag. It went something like this ...
“I know how hard these guys work to be great and I know how much it will hurt them to perform like this.”
Now, that’s throwing someone under the bus in the nicest possible way.
Back to Williams. Everyone has their own opinion on his comments.
There are many reasons why Scott’s victory might have meant so much to him. It’s not always about the size of the prize and undoubtedly Wood’s presence had something to do with it.
But Scott has also been something of an unrealized talent on the PGA Tour and this result may well prove a turning point. Maybe Williams is relishing the opportunity to pass his experience on to Scott at this point in his career.
One of the things I love about Kiwis is we tend to speak our minds. There are no airs or graces – what you see is what you get.
Williams went beyond that. His rant seemed to be very self serving and after all the great things he had achieved over the years (and over the previous four days), I was disappointed to have New Zealand represented so immodestly on the international stage.
Two thoughts struck me as I listened – firstly, how Woods had fired previous caddy “Fluff” Cowan when he began to enjoy his own celebrity status rather too much.
Also, Woods had an unfortunate reputation for bad behaviour around the greens and fairways, and Williams’ outburst made me wonder how much his sidekick had contributed to that.
I’m sure Williams has learned his lesson, and hopefully he’ll go on to notch up another 145 victories and a place in the Golf Hall of Fame. Then he’ll have the perfect platform to talk about himself.
Amazingly, no caddies are yet among the Hall’s 130-plus members.
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