Steve Williams heads to Australia as Tiger Woods racism row intensifies
• Caddie flies to Sydney for Australian Open
• Tiger Woods due to comment on Tuesday
• Tiger Woods due to comment on Tuesday
The row over racism switched from China to Australia on Sunday
as the sport's administrators sought to draw a line under the "entirely
unacceptable" remarks about Tiger Woods
that were made by Steve Williams. The caddie flew to Sydney, where he
may well come face to face this week with his former employer and
one-time friend.
It had been widely speculated that Australia's Adam Scott, who hired Williams last summer, would ask the caddie to step aside for a few weeks, or at least for as long as it takes the row, one of the most toxic to hit the sport in recent years, to die down. Instead, Scott confirmed that his bagman would be at the Australian Open in Sydney this week and at the Presidents Cup in Melbourne the following week. Woods, whom Williams called a "black arsehole" at an awards ceremony in Shanghai on Friday, is playing in both events.
It has been rumoured for weeks that the tournament organisers in Sydney were mischievously planning to pair the two players for the first two rounds at the Lakes course. There is no chance of that happening now – at least not by design. However Woods and Scott, and by extension Williams, could be paired if they shoot matching scores over the first two days of the tournament. There is also a possibility that they will play each other at the Presidents Cup, the biennial match between the United States and an international team.
"Could be an interesting dynamic," Scott said, when asked about the possibility of Williams and Wood spending around four hours in each other's company on the course.
Last Saturday Woods's agent, Mark Steinberg, described the caddie's comments as "sad". The former world No1 will make his own views known on Tuesday morning in Sydney, when he is scheduled to give a press conference...MORE
It had been widely speculated that Australia's Adam Scott, who hired Williams last summer, would ask the caddie to step aside for a few weeks, or at least for as long as it takes the row, one of the most toxic to hit the sport in recent years, to die down. Instead, Scott confirmed that his bagman would be at the Australian Open in Sydney this week and at the Presidents Cup in Melbourne the following week. Woods, whom Williams called a "black arsehole" at an awards ceremony in Shanghai on Friday, is playing in both events.
It has been rumoured for weeks that the tournament organisers in Sydney were mischievously planning to pair the two players for the first two rounds at the Lakes course. There is no chance of that happening now – at least not by design. However Woods and Scott, and by extension Williams, could be paired if they shoot matching scores over the first two days of the tournament. There is also a possibility that they will play each other at the Presidents Cup, the biennial match between the United States and an international team.
"Could be an interesting dynamic," Scott said, when asked about the possibility of Williams and Wood spending around four hours in each other's company on the course.
Last Saturday Woods's agent, Mark Steinberg, described the caddie's comments as "sad". The former world No1 will make his own views known on Tuesday morning in Sydney, when he is scheduled to give a press conference...MORE
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