Tiger Woods has accused his New Zealand-born caddie and confidante Steve Williams of ‘cheating’ on him.
Woods fired Williams this week after rumours began to circulate that the caddie had been secretly courting Australian golfer Adam Scott. Just days after the split, Williams confirmed that he had accepted an offer to caddie for the Australian on a permanent basis.
“I can’t believe that it’s over after 12 years – I really thought we had something special,” a teary-eyed Woods told reporters.
“That’s what you get for investing heavily in someone – it’s definitely the last time I give myself to someone at the exclusion of all others. Fuck monogamy,” he added, bitterly.
Williams told ThePublicApology that being on the PGA tour for over a decade had its temptations.
“There’s just so many exciting, young, talented golfers out there – and while Tiger is certainly a wonderful, charming man, our relationship just dried up over time. He just wasn’t giving me the attention I craved,” he said.
“But I never, ever cheated on him.”
Williams recalled the time he first noticed Scott, back in 2002 at the US Masters, with fondness.
“He was this young 22-year-old, lithe, with a gorgeous swing and laconic Australian charm,” he said.
“We shared a few drinks at the 19th hole over the last seven or eight years and eventually he made the ultimate commitment to me, asking me to be his exclusive caddy. I was stunned, but of course I said yes!”
ThePublicApology understands that Williams has been seeing other prominent golfers at the 19th hole – and occasionally outside of official PGA tournaments – over the past decade. Phil Mickleson, John Daly, Robert Allenby and Miguel Angel Jimenez have all been linked to the New Zealander, while grainy photographs emerged of a professional tryst between the caddy and Woods’ compatriot Jim Furyk, just months ago.
Gossip website TMZ published photographs of Williams giggling with Furyk at a driving range in Florida in April, but both parties denied it was anything more than “two mates catching up for a hit.”
The string of allegations against Williams are not expected to derail his burgeoning career, or affect the relationship between the caddie and new boss Adam Scott.
By Dave Edwards