Every time some Hollywood power couple gets divorced, the pop culture watchers are very quick to pick a winner and a loser of the break-up. One person (usually the person who did the dumping) takes on the villain role, while the other becomes the sympathetic figure everyone just wants to console. The world of sports is no different. Every time a coach/manager gets fired or a player gets traded, analysts are on TV painting one side as the bad guy. The only difference is that in Hollywood you can keep that sympathy going for years and parlay it into numerous starring roles even though you have repeatedly proven you can't carry your own movie (hello, Jennifer Aniston), while in sports people are only willing to pity you for so long. The second people think you are starting to pile on the person we already declared the wrong-doer the sports-watching public is only too happy to switch sides. And over the weekend we got a perfect example of this with Tiger Woods ex-caddy, Steve Williams.
When word first broke that Tiger was letting Williams go, everyone was on Steve's side. After all, he had been the one patiently waiting for two years while Tiger tried to get his mind and his game right. During all that time Williams wasn't making any money from caddying, just sitting on the sidelines like a loyal employee. Then he flies all the way from his home in New Zealand to Washington for the U.S. Open, only to find out after he arrived that Tiger wasn't planning to play. Would have been nice to have gotten that phone call earlier. Any reasonable person could understand his desire to find some work that week, if for no other reason than to cover his expenses, so when Williams asked Tiger if he could caddy for Adam Scott and received the all-clear even though Tiger reportedly wasn't happy about it, Woods was the one who came off as a prick. When Williams was officially fired a couple weeks later after 13 years, reportedly because Tiger (or his management team) were mad that Williams wanted to extend his temporary relationship with Scott, everyone rushed to say how poorly Williams, never before considered a warm and fuzzy guy, was being treated. The sports world declared him the winner. Then came this weekend in Akron.
With his new boss having a great final round to win convincingly while Tiger was playing to an inconsistent score of (+1), people were even more on Williams' side. Everyone thought this was karma at its finest. The crowds on the way up to the 18th green were chanting Steve's name. He was even asked to do a post-round interview, which never happens in the world of caddies. And it probably won't ever happen again, because this is where it went wrong. After declaring that this was the best week of his life, Williams added that this was the most satisfying of "his" 145 career victories. He then took the opportunity to mention that he saw flaws in Tiger's game and he was fired over the phone. And cue the sound of a record scratching.
You see, even though people might not like him, Tiger Woods is to golf what the Yankees are to baseball: everything is more interesting when they are playing well. It's been said numerous times, but only because it is true - when it comes to golf ratings Tiger does not move the needle, he is the needle. Focus group studies have shown casual golf fans would rather see Tiger warm up on the range than see anyone else hit a shot during competition. So, even though they may not want to admit it, almost everyone is rooting for Tiger to make a comeback and it wasn't going to take much for people to jump back to his side.
Therefore, it was hardly surprising when people started pointing out that Williams didn't actually do any swinging of any clubs and it felt like this post-round celebration and interview were taking the spotlight away from Adam Scott, who just had one of the biggest victories of his career. Plus, with the shots fired at Tiger it suddenly felt as though Williams was being a little ungrateful. After all, he'd made millions of dollars as Woods' caddy, gaining exposure and his own endorsement deals along the way, something most caddies could only dream of. Besides, caddies get fired all the time - it's part of the job. Hell, Luke Donald fired his caddy after 8 years and that guy also happened to be his brother. Did Williams think he was immune to this? Plus, the "best victory" comment sounded very petty. How could you possibly say that a WGC event was better than a major, let alone 13? Now, Williams was always kind of prickly to the fans, once famously taking a camera and throwing it into a lake, so just like it wasn't going to take much for people to jump back to Tiger's side, it was going to take even less for people to get off the Steve Williams bandwagon.
In the end, much like normal break-ups that don't happen with the world watching, there are no real winners. Everyone just kind of loses equally. Tiger appears to have handled the situation badly and still has swing problems to deal with, while Williams is coming across like a scorned lover who keeps complaining about just how badly they were treated even after we all stopped listening. I just hope that now the first tournament is over we can all just move forward and get back to golf. And I really hope we can do that without any one resorting to anything as awful as "The Bounty Hunter".
Showing posts with label Steve Williams. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Steve Williams. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Is It Worth It?
Once upon a time I was dating a nice Jewish girl. Because her religion was very important to her, every year she would ask me to come to her family's Passover Seder. I would go but with a decade of Catholic school under my belt I had no idea what I should be doing at this very important Jewish ceremony. Thus, I was always deathly afraid I was going to mess up horribly and ruin the evening. As such I was never able to relax when I was there. So, when my girlfriend came to me one year and told me I didn't have to go to Seder, I was relieved. I was also single within a month. It is because of this life experience I know the following thing: when people stop caring enough to make you do something you don't want to do, it is never a good thing.
Therefore, when news broke a couple weeks back that Steve Williams was going to caddy for Adam Scott at the U.S. Open, I knew it was only a matter of time before Williams was officially fired by Tiger Woods. You simply don't let employees you value audition for other companies. I know it would have been a dick move for Tiger to deny Williams the opportunity to get some work in and make a little money while caddying for a friend, especially since no one knows when Tiger is going to return to competitive golf, but if he really wanted to keep Williams on that is what he would have done. By allowing him to work for Scott, even if it was only meant to be a temporary position, Woods was telling the world he didn't value Williams as an employee.
Still, let's not cry for Steve Williams, because he's already landed a new job and it's a good one at that: caddying for a young, talent player like Adam Scott is about as soft a landing spot as a caddy could hope for. Adam has already won The Player's, had a good showing at this year's Masters and appears to have the putting issues which have plagued him for years figured out with a switch to a long putter. Steve Williams is going to be just fine. Instead, let's discuss something that has been on my mind since Tiger's bag officially hung out a "Help Wanted" sign yesterday: just how good a job is it to be Tiger's caddy?
On the surface, it appears to be a pretty sweet gig. You can make a lot of money, you get a lot of exposure and if he ever gets his swing corrected, Tiger will make his caddy's job pretty easy. But, if you look closer, it may just be more hassle than it is worth. Let's say Tiger continues to have swing issues: it wouldn't take too long before people in Woods' inner-circle start whispering about it being time to make another change. And since in golf you can only change the caddy or the swing coach, either you or Sean Foley would be going. And, if the way he handled the Steve Williams situation is any indication, Tiger won't be letting you down lightly.
There are other issues that come with working for a guy like Tiger Woods and they go beyond the typical caddy duties. Every caddy is expected to not only pull clubs and know distances, but you're also expected to be half-bodyguard and half-traffic cop. With Tiger those duties are magnified. No matter how he's playing, Woods attracts a large gallery and then expects that gallery to be exceptionally well-behaved. (One of the things I'm really interested to see is how Steve Williams behaves on Scott's bag. Is he still going to be the camera-throwing, in-your-face intimidating figure he has been, or was that a product of working for Woods? Will Tiger's new sidekick be that kind of man, or is he going in a different direction, post-Thanksgiving crash?) If he wants to keep with the tough-guy caddy, that could limit his possibilities.
Lastly, there is the issue of schedule. No one knows when Tiger is coming back from his latest injury. And the main thing I know about caddies is they love to caddy. They want to be out on tour, not sitting at home waiting for a guy to get healthy. And even when Woods does get healthy, there are no indications he plans to add more events to his normal schedule. That means it will be the normal 18-20 events a year, which doesn't make for many opportunities to cash a check. And if Woods is still battling his swing and finishing in the mid-30s every event, those checks aren't going to be that big anyway.
So, with all that in mind, I have to wonder just who wants this bag. For example, let's say you're Joe LaCava. You just took up Dustin Johnson's bag after years of being on Fred Couples' caddy. You've got the pedigree and experience that would appeal to Woods and, since Couples and Woods are friends, I'm sure Tiger will give you a call to gage your interest. Personally, if I were Joe I think I would pass. Dustin might not have Tiger's credentials, but he has contended in majors, has enough star-power to command appearance fees across the globe and plays more than Woods does. You could argue it would be the better long-term job.
I know this much: two years ago just about everyone short of Bones would have dropped their current guy for the chance to caddy for Tiger Woods. Now you have to wonder if any of the players in the Top-10 are even worried about it.
Therefore, when news broke a couple weeks back that Steve Williams was going to caddy for Adam Scott at the U.S. Open, I knew it was only a matter of time before Williams was officially fired by Tiger Woods. You simply don't let employees you value audition for other companies. I know it would have been a dick move for Tiger to deny Williams the opportunity to get some work in and make a little money while caddying for a friend, especially since no one knows when Tiger is going to return to competitive golf, but if he really wanted to keep Williams on that is what he would have done. By allowing him to work for Scott, even if it was only meant to be a temporary position, Woods was telling the world he didn't value Williams as an employee.
Still, let's not cry for Steve Williams, because he's already landed a new job and it's a good one at that: caddying for a young, talent player like Adam Scott is about as soft a landing spot as a caddy could hope for. Adam has already won The Player's, had a good showing at this year's Masters and appears to have the putting issues which have plagued him for years figured out with a switch to a long putter. Steve Williams is going to be just fine. Instead, let's discuss something that has been on my mind since Tiger's bag officially hung out a "Help Wanted" sign yesterday: just how good a job is it to be Tiger's caddy?
On the surface, it appears to be a pretty sweet gig. You can make a lot of money, you get a lot of exposure and if he ever gets his swing corrected, Tiger will make his caddy's job pretty easy. But, if you look closer, it may just be more hassle than it is worth. Let's say Tiger continues to have swing issues: it wouldn't take too long before people in Woods' inner-circle start whispering about it being time to make another change. And since in golf you can only change the caddy or the swing coach, either you or Sean Foley would be going. And, if the way he handled the Steve Williams situation is any indication, Tiger won't be letting you down lightly.
There are other issues that come with working for a guy like Tiger Woods and they go beyond the typical caddy duties. Every caddy is expected to not only pull clubs and know distances, but you're also expected to be half-bodyguard and half-traffic cop. With Tiger those duties are magnified. No matter how he's playing, Woods attracts a large gallery and then expects that gallery to be exceptionally well-behaved. (One of the things I'm really interested to see is how Steve Williams behaves on Scott's bag. Is he still going to be the camera-throwing, in-your-face intimidating figure he has been, or was that a product of working for Woods? Will Tiger's new sidekick be that kind of man, or is he going in a different direction, post-Thanksgiving crash?) If he wants to keep with the tough-guy caddy, that could limit his possibilities.
Lastly, there is the issue of schedule. No one knows when Tiger is coming back from his latest injury. And the main thing I know about caddies is they love to caddy. They want to be out on tour, not sitting at home waiting for a guy to get healthy. And even when Woods does get healthy, there are no indications he plans to add more events to his normal schedule. That means it will be the normal 18-20 events a year, which doesn't make for many opportunities to cash a check. And if Woods is still battling his swing and finishing in the mid-30s every event, those checks aren't going to be that big anyway.
So, with all that in mind, I have to wonder just who wants this bag. For example, let's say you're Joe LaCava. You just took up Dustin Johnson's bag after years of being on Fred Couples' caddy. You've got the pedigree and experience that would appeal to Woods and, since Couples and Woods are friends, I'm sure Tiger will give you a call to gage your interest. Personally, if I were Joe I think I would pass. Dustin might not have Tiger's credentials, but he has contended in majors, has enough star-power to command appearance fees across the globe and plays more than Woods does. You could argue it would be the better long-term job.
I know this much: two years ago just about everyone short of Bones would have dropped their current guy for the chance to caddy for Tiger Woods. Now you have to wonder if any of the players in the Top-10 are even worried about it.
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