Ex-Caddie Unloads on Tiger in Tell-All

Steve Williams: 'It was like I was his slave'
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Nov 2, 2015 9:06 AM CST
Ex-Caddie Unloads on Tiger in Tell-All
In this 2011 file photo, Tiger Woods and his former caddie Steve Williams at the Presidents Cup golf tournament at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia.   (Andrew Brownbill)

Tiger Woods' former caddie Steve Williams says he was "hung out to dry" by Woods' management when the golfer's infidelities came to light in 2009, and was at times treated as a "slave" on the course. A New Zealand newspaper Sunday published a chapter of Williams' tell-all, Out of the Rough, in which the New Zealand-born caddie describes learning of Woods' affairs, followed by a four-month silence as the golfer's marriage, career, and reputation fell apart. While Williams says he was angry, Woods "was still a friend in trouble and I was going to stick by him. I did that even though people were accusing me of being an enabler, saying I was lying when I stated clearly that I knew nothing about this." Other excerpts:

  • On Woods' management: "I repeatedly asked for Tiger's management to release a statement that would clear me of any involvement in this lurid news. They simply wouldn't do it. Angry, frustrated, and hung out to dry, I was also in limbo about when I would next work."
  • On why he stayed: "I felt incredibly loyal to Tiger—this was the toughest time of his life and I wasn't going to ditch him."
  • When Woods finally did reach out: "Tiger finally rang me on March 23 (2010). He had already sent me an apologetic email when he was in rehab. It was heartfelt and meaningful; he was open, honest, and remorseful, and it reinforced my thinking that because I was so straight up and had such strong values, he felt he couldn't tell me what was going on with his affairs."
  • Woods' other bad behavior: Williams often felt angry when Woods "would flippantly toss a club in the general direction of the bag, expecting me to go over and pick it up. I felt uneasy about bending down to pick up his discarded club—it was like I was his slave."
(You might be surprised at what Tiger's ex has to say about him.)

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