Scott Stands By Stevie: "While he's caddying, I hope he can caddie for me."

Doug Ferguson, reporting from Shanghai where Adam Scott finished his round on a high note and then faced questions about the status of caddie Steve Williams following the loopers' controversial comments.

"Didn't distract me too badly in the end today," Scott said after a birdie-birdie-eagle finish for a 69, leaving him three shots behind Fredrik Jacobson going into the final round of the World Golf Championship.

"Look, anything with Tiger involved is a story," Scott said. "I value Steve's contribution to my game and to have him on the bag. While he's caddying, I hope he can caddie for me."

Lee Westwood wins an award for Best Excuse To Say Nothing In A Non-Supporting Role:

Westwood, Geoff Ogilvy and Ian Poulter were among those who walked away when the topic shifted to Williams and Woods.

"I've had an ear infection for two weeks and I couldn't hear a lot of what was going on," Westwood said sarcastically. "So it would be wrong for me to comment on anything."

Alex Miceli featured more post-round comments from Scott and Ernie Els.

“I don’t think it should be awkward for me,” Scott said of being between Williams and Woods. “I’m the guy stuck in the middle, but I don’t really have a gripe with either guy. So it’s for them to sort out between themselves.”

Which is the larger point. Williams still has not sorted out his anger issues with Woods, and they are bleeding into his current employment with Scott and potentially jeopardizing Scott’s career.

Ernie Els called it “an awkward situation” for Scott and Williams.

“Adam just wants to have the best caddie, and he just wants to concentrate on his game,” Els said. “He’s just come through a tough time with his game. It looks like he’s got that hunger back, and he’s got the best caddie in the world on his bag. I’d just like to see them blossom.”

Comments

[Press Agent]

It's shocking how screwed up things are in the world, in race relations, and in the media in general.

A president can basically say F-You to millions of black people when a massive flood wipes out homes, businesses, livelihoods, lives, families etc, and the media doesn't even blink an eye, let alone give a shit. Some caddy makes some stupid joke and everyone's ready to crucify the guy. If people really cared about racism they would rise up against the big issues, not the tiny little meaningless ones.

If he had said "shove it up his Thai ass" would anyone have cared?

I wonder if people knew how filthy, derogatory and disgusting Tiger can be when he's telling jokes, or hanging with the boys, they would change their opinion on this innocuous joke from Williams.

Ridiculous!

[Kevin Olsen]

We should focus on the 'positive' - it seems likely that Williams will shut his mouth for a while.

[DGS]

All depends on the definition of "a while"

[No Longer Used to be Former S&T Convert]

Tiger still holds the cards, if he acts injured and offended he forces Scott to fire Stevie.

[Moi]

Well, it seems that more and more people are understanding this in the correct way........and now, for sure, they (TW-Scott&Williams) will be paired in the Presidents Cup. Big audiences asured lol

[Kevin Olsen]

DGS, I'll take whatever I can get on the length of 'a while.'

[gov. lepetomane]

I wonder if Fuzzy has enjoyed the last couple of years of golf gossip on Young Woods. How could he not?

Seriously, I don't think the situation should be much of a problem unless Woody and Stevie are forced to double date at next spring's prom.

[Furlong Husky]

Stevie's on a bad road.

[Boyer]

Stevie interviewed today:

48m36s in

http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/thisweek/hourrecs/Sun,%20Nov%206%2012.00%20trn-newstalk-zb-akl.asf

[pasaplayer]

"Best caddy in the world." Wow! That is thought provoking, indeed, coming from Ernie.

[Del the Funk]

pasaplayer, had the same thought.

Again, Ernie said Steve is "the - best - caddie - in - the -world". He did not say " one of the best". He did not say he is "a top caddie".

He said Steve Williams is "the - best - caddie - in - the -world". That's probably a pretty tough pill to swallow for a lot of h.......

[Del the Funk]

How is saying nothing "non-supporting"?

What is the alternative?

[Boyer]

"My former employee" - Williams.

Another dig at Tiger or Stevie digging deeper?

[BrianS]

One thing that needs to be remembered is that Stevie was fired by Tiger because he was moonlighting (supposedly, debatably) for Adam without proper authorization from TW. So there may be some guilt or at least a feeling by Scott that if it weren't for him, Stevie would still have his Tiger gig. That could influence his decision to not fire the guy at this point anyway.

[Tiger's Fault]

"tigerford"

This will be knock on Tiger if he doesn't come out with a statement exculpating SW.

Wasn't it the classless Tiger that publicly reprimanded SW when SW made poor comments about Phil? At least SW has club handler who will back him up now.

[elf]

@BrianS do you really think that Adam fired Tony N and then didn't bother to look for a top caddie without having some inkling that he could hire one of his "mentors" Steve Williams?

[elf]

Here's the thing with Adam keeping Steve or firing him: In every tv shot and photo today Steve will be seen with a titleist hat on, same thing at the Aussie Open etc, the question is how much that bothers them (and same for the rest of Adam's sponsors).

[Del the Funk]

elf, the problem with your thesis is that 99.99% of the viewing public has no idea who Adam's caddie is, regardless of his headwear.

And as for the .001%.....will you stop playing the ProV1 until Adam cans Stevie? I'd venture you can count the number of people that will throw out their ProV's over this issue on the fingers of one hand, excluding the thumb.

[BrianS]

@Elf - Scott fired Navarro the week after the Players, where Tiger pulled out due to injury. So are you saying that he knew at that point that he could poach the previously fanatically loyal Steve from Tiger, during his undetermined injury period? Seems a little too Machiavellian for Scott to me. And, under that scenario, what would be the source of Stevie's unrelenting bitterness towards Tiger ?

[elf]

@BrianS Tony is an excellent caddy, and Adam had just finished 2nd at the masters, you think he just fired him on a whim without having an inkling that he could get Steve? Remember, Adam and Steve are close, and anyone who watched Tiger and Steve at the players could see there was bad body language. Maybe, Steve having a rather large ego, just wanted to be able to quit (and he also clearly has anger management issues)

[KCMG]

Williams flew from New Zealand to play in the US Open. Under the circumstances, his request to pick up another bag was legitimate (and permitted, until Somebody had a change of mind. Worried that "Stevie" might find the new experience, like, sane? That he might get used to being treated with courtesy and consideration, instead of let fly across the world for nothing?). The AT&T situation was less clear -- Williams may have assumed carte blanche until the boss was reactivated, or he may have just wanted to play, or whatever, but already there were apparently intimations that Tiger was not happy about the Plan B situation.

Either way, the firing seems to have surprised him, there are conflicting tales as to how it was carried out, and for any one (or more) of several reasons -- some seemingly legitimate -- Williams evidently feels aggrieved. It has exploded rather distastefully more than once, now. But I suspect, from comments by the likes of McDowell, who was there, that it was more stupidity than racism the other night. Doesn't excuse it, and reminds us how close to the surface the temptation to use a racial identifier as part of a denigration is in many people, but drink was taken and the tone was apparently merry. We're not talking Mel Gibson here.

Still, he has put Scott in a hell of a spot. Probably whatever happens this year happens at the end of the HSBC. One possibility -- Williams will voluntarily pack it in from golf. I found Scott's comment that he hoped Williams would be caddying for him "as long as he's caddying" (I think from an Alex Micelli report) suggestive. Makes me think they have had a conversation in which one or other of them put forward the notion that the best thing for him would be to retire as gracefully as possible -- perhaps to be held in abeyance till they saw how it all played out. I certainly think Scott will get his wish in one regard -- I can't see anyone else picking up Williams if Scott fired him, or if he simply resigned the bag. Scott may be trying to let him off gently, allowing him to resign rather than be fired.

[elf]

@KCMG those conflicting reports on how he was fired actually come from Williams (and camp Tiger). In separate interviews before Bridgestone Steve told Golf Digest and a NZ tv station that Tiger fired him in person at AT&T and said he'd told Adam prior to the British Open (when he picked him up in the car that week), there next tournament together after AT&T. After Bridgestone he claimed Tiger sacked him before AT&T, which of course raises the question of why he didn't have "the talk" with Adam at AT&T.

Or we can conclude that something else was going on (and note it could've happened like Scott had inkling Steve was unhappy, and decided to go for it and see what happened. Tiger was upset and fired Steve. Adam's gamble pays off)

[PA PLAYA]

It is quite obvious that Williams couldn't care less about what other people think about him. He has a history of saying what is on his mind and has never allowed an opportunity to be confrontational to go to waste. He's the equivalent of a playground bully.... but in his world it's just him being the competitive type that he claims to be.

His aggressive behavior has been tolerated in the past and it appears that it will continue to go unchallenged, until something a tad more serious happens that pales in comparison to disrespecting an employer's peers or testing the buoyancy properties of a photo camera... these indicators go well beyond someone feeling wronged and bitter.... they hint of a serious anger problem, by someone who has never truly respected anyone but himself.

It's obviously not for me to say that he should be reprimanded, although I do feel that there is indeed enough history involved to justify some type of corrective action. But I do believe that Steve Williams is a loose cannon, and those who have the influence to address his behavior but choose not to... they show a careless attitude of indifference.

[KCMG]

So what's supposed to be done? Williams has apologised -- and it was an apology to Tiger, as well as to anyone else who (it not actually being any of their real business, took offence). The Tour doesn't have a racial sensitivity meter that applies across the board -- it would be a decimated Tour if it did, and ANGC wouldn't pass the smell test. That plus the fact that the caddie caper was not as such a Tour event really takes them out of the admonition stakes. Scott may well have discussed this with Williams, as I suggested above, but he is not that wrong, even if naive, in saying it ain't his narrative. Is he to act as Williams' judge/jury/executioner?

And of course the view from the summit has yet to be heard. If he wants to "win" this round, he'll leave it at Steiny's comments. which included that Tiger had nothing he could say. But the Tiger of "Nine and eight" may fall to the temptations that will doubtless be put in his way...to be continued.

You couldn't get away with making this stuff up. Really.