This will be the story of '09 - Will Stevie be there when Tiger comes back?!

[ganjagolfer]

stevie never did the biggest insult which is to throw his shoes at phil and so it will be easy to forgive

[Stacey_E]

I love that everyone has somehow called Stevie a loser and/or classless. Then they go on to describe his job like he owns a sweat shop and abuses puppies and has no right to describe PHIL MICKELSON as a prick. Yes the guy is a caddie and yes what he said is wrong, but he's no less of a person because he is lucky enough to be Tiger's caddie or a caddie of a professional golfer for that matter.

That's about how I feel.

It would take a lot for something to get between Tiger and Steve, but Steve needs to constantly be aware of the fate of Fluff Cowan. He had a nice gig on Tiger's bag till he revealed some private information regarding his boss.

Word to Steve

Tiger won't fire Stevie, period.

Those boys will just have to duke it out on the course. Hmmm, I'm bettin' on Tiger. But I do think Phil will be a little more motivated by the incident.

stevie never did the biggest insult which is to throw his shoes at phil and so it will be easy to forgive

If he had, I bet Phil is "sneaky fast" just like "W".

[PEZGolf]

I have never met Phil but know a number of people who have. They all say he's a great guy. I've never understood why some people dislike him so much. Williams is entitled to his beliefs but what purpose does it serve to call someone a prick publicly?

Like you, I have never met Phil either, but two of my friends met him at the PGA Golf Merchandise Show in Florida a few years ago. He was super friendly, discussed the upcoming Super Bowl with them, and had his picture taken with them, which they have up in their golf store. He is one of their favorites now because of the way he treated them. I also know some people who have met Tiger, and their comments are very unfavorable. Apparently, Tiger can be very aloof and curt, as if he wishes he was somewhere else and is in a hurry to get there.

Let us face it--the most popular players out there are Tiger, Phil, and John Daly. Their followers are very loyal and will stick up for "their guy" no matter what. That is one thing that makes sports rivalries fun, as long as it does not go too far.

[flap]

Let me say that I have talked to a fairly large writer of golf stuff {I work for the NY Post for the last 32 years}and he says yes Stevie boy very well is in trouble with Tiger.Now I will say writers opinions are just that but I would hope he has a little inside stuff.

[RocketSauce]

it sure didnt seem like a big deal at Tigers press conference today. i only watched the first 20 minutes of the 30 minute press conference and during that time only one question was asked about it and Tiger shrugged it off saying "Its been put to bed, and its over and done with"....

[Fourputt]

I like Butch Harmon's comments too. As man who knows both players well, he seems to agree that there is more going on behind the scenes than is apparent.

Most prominent of the many commentators taking Williams to task is Woods’s former coach Butch Harmon. Now working with Mickelson, Harmon said he was shocked to hear what Williams said about Mickelson. "I can't believe he said what he said. I think it's deplorable he would say something like that," said Harmon, adding that he was "extremely upset." "Golf is a game of honor and integrity and that was a very uncalled for remark. I don't think it's any reflection of what Tiger thinks of Phil Mickelson." Harmon added that Williams would likely get a personal reprimand from Woods. "I would have loved to have heard a recording of the conversation between (Williams) and Tiger. I worked with Tiger for 10 years and I can tell you he wouldn't have been very happy with that."

I still don't think this is the end of it. Maybe the roar will abate until the next time Stevie oversteps his boundaries, but I don't think Tiger will just shake off something like this again.

[colin007]

geez, is this really a story? who cares??? anyways, apparently, most of the guys on tour think phil is a prick too. they certainly know him better than anyone here does, maybe theres a reason? and BTW, dude has boobs. not as big as tim herron's, but still...

whatever...i dont think this will make an impact whatsoever on their performance this coming year.

[RocketSauce]

geez, is this really a story? who cares??? anyways, apparently, most of the guys on tour think phil is a prick too. they certainly know him better than anyone here does, maybe theres a reason? and BTW, dude has boobs. not as big as tim herron's, but still...

yes, it is a story. especially when its the leading story on Golf Central and in every newspaper around the world.... and the boob comment wasn't directed at Phil. Stevie said it was, but it was actually directed at Colin Montgomerie. Stevie had his facts mixed up (or he just outright lied)....

[PEZGolf]

Let me say that I have talked to a fairly large writer of golf stuff {I work for the NY Post for the last 32 years}and he says yes Stevie boy very well is in trouble with Tiger.Now I will say writers opinions are just that but I would hope he has a little inside stuff.

Tiger has a great reputation,which I am sure is important to him. Stevie's comments are "out of line", and I do not think Tiger is going to tolerate them. Stevie is toast. He may as well start sending his resume out for a new job.

[Fourputt]

geez, is this really a story? who cares??? anyways, apparently,

Not according to better sources than you.

Unless you have an inside track better than Butch Harmon's.

[iacas]

Tiger has a great reputation,which I am sure is important to him. Stevie's comments are "out of line", and I do not think Tiger is going to tolerate them. Stevie is toast. He may as well start sending his resume out for a new job.

Yeah, want to place a bet on that? You couldn't be further from the truth.

Unless you have an inside track better than Butch Harmon's.

Butch looks for every opportunity to promote his current players and to also slip in "as someone who worked with Tiger Woods for over ten years."

Butch's word isn't golden. A lot of the guys on Tour despise Phil. I've seen and heard it first-hand. If I was approximating, I'd say it's a slim majority, in fact. There are various reasons you don't hear about it, not the least of which is that reporters know when something is off the record. Phil didn't make that "top 10 most hated athletes" (or whatever it was) list for no reason.

[Bo the Golfer]

Yeah, want to place a bet on that? You couldn't be further from the truth.

Don't take the bet Pez! Tiger said yesterday Steve Williams will be on the bag for 2009 which is no suprise.

[RocketSauce]

Tiger has a great reputation,which I am sure is important to him. Stevie's comments are "out of line", and I do not think Tiger is going to tolerate them. Stevie is toast. He may as well start sending his resume out for a new job.

Stevie isnt going anywhere.

[Fat Slice]

Stevie isnt going anywhere.

...yet.

When Tiger was winning everything in sight, he wasn't likely to rock the boat. Who knows how he will perform when he comes back? If he has a rough time of it I bet more things will be on the table (caddy, swing coach, etc). If Steve is perceived to be more of a distraction than a marginal help (compared to another capable caddy), he could easily end up with walking papers. What is certain is that this incident alone isn't going to get him canned - Tiger said as much. What is also certain is that EVERYone has a line, and if Steve crosses Tiger's, he'll be toast. What we don't know is where that line is and how really stupid Steve is. Time will tell. Maybe Tiger asked Steve to say that to get into Phil's head - who knows?

[1dayIllBaPro]

Is there anyone here personally know Tiger or Phil? How long and how good do you know them? And is there anyone who really know what's going on between them? I would like to hear it from those guys.

From what I have learned in life.
Some people are nice, because they have to be nice.
Some people are nice, becasue they are really nice.

From my point of view, Tiger has something like Tiger learning center, golf clinics, etc. I don't see what phil does(ok some foundations). Honestly I haven't seen him on a golf clinic once. Why don't they put Phil on the Golf channel more? Because they don't want to? because Phil doesn't want to? because he's a lefty ? or what ... ? It just doesn't make sense to me because from what I've always seen, Phil is trying to win the fans.

No offense to Phil, but I like Tiger better from what he does.

[PEZGolf]

Originally Posted by iacas

Yeah, want to place a bet on that? You couldn't be further from the truth.

Good advice! I am not going to take the bet now. Tiger's comments at his news conference made it clear that he has talked to Stevie and Phil, and the matter is done and over with. If he was going to fire Stevie, he would have done it by now. Let us face it--Stevie is a good caddy and he and Tiger have a good relationship. Whether it is a marriage, a friendship, or employer-employee relationship, there are always some "bumps in the road". Nonetheless, good relationships deal with them and the two parties go on together, and do not get a "divorce". Tiger, as always, was very professional and succinct in his comments.

[Fourputt]

Is there anyone here personally know Tiger or Phil? How long and how good do you know them? And is there anyone who really know what's going on between them? I would like to hear it from those guys.

Phil probably gives as much in time and money as Tiger does, but he tries to stay out of the spotlight in those areas.

[microcrayfish]

While I admit Williams was naive to think that it wouldn't get out I can see his point of view.

Williams said that he doesn't respect Mickelson because Mickelson doesn't show him any respect. Now this is just an assumption but considering a lot of the comments on here Steve most likely gets the same "you're just a caddy" attitude from Phil as is well evidenced in previous posts. If someone treated me with no respect because they think they're a better person or a more worthy human being than me just because they were better than me at something then I'd think them pretty much a prick too, and I'd most likely let anyone who asked know about it.

As for the boobs story consider the context for a second. Williams was a guest speaker at an event (possibly getting paid for it) and he told a funny story. It may not have been true but he was there to entertain a crowd and I'm sure he got a few laughs out of it.

Now I realise (or should that be realize) that I share the same homeland as Mr Williams and perhaps that makes me a tad biased but like someone else said in this part of the world stuff like that isn't a big deal. When I read the story in the paper (not on the front page) I thought to myself "big deal, so he called Mickelson a prick, he probably is a prick, who cares". So what if he spoke his mind and said it in public, people don't like other people on occasion it's a fact of life just get over it.

Oh, and for anyone who called him classless can you honestly say you've never called someone something bad or badmouthed them. You're just lucky it didn't make the papers.