Where was Steve Williams???

[ward peyronnin]

OK slightly OT but when a leader by four just keeps leakin oil where is his caddie? By 18 Mr. Williams, perhaps the most recognizable looper extant and self declared at that was walking five paces ahead of his player after the drive landed in the bunker.

What was Scott thinking bringing the cross bunkers into play with a three wood on that hole when he drove the ball beautifully all week? No one I have seen has yet asked why he executed that stupid shot when he has the top caddie on his bag. Did they debate and Scott overruled. I just don't understand someone getting paid that kind of money and blowing it so badly and no one seems to wamt to question it ( nothing in golfworld after a cursory look either)

[Ryan Kelly]

He was too busy worrying about taking off his bib before leaving the 18th green.

[Will MacEwen]

I know Alan Shipnuck has repeatedly said that Williams did a poor job in the final holes - walking too fast when Scott needed things to slow down, not walking with him, and letting him hit that club off 18. 

[Tom Ferrell]

I cannot believe that Stevie Williams' act at the Open has escaped the major golf media.

I noted with disgust his act on the 18th green on Saturday, whipping off his bib BEFORE shaking hands with players and other caddies/officials.  Really, Stevie?

And I couldn't agree more with the criticism of his handling of his thoroughbred late on Sunday.  This jackass had the audacity to claim Scott's victory at Firestone as his own.  He embarrassed his employer with his stupid remarks about Tiger Woods at the dinner later in the year.  And his body language/facial expressions at the last on Sunday were insulting and condescending to Scott.

I personally think Scott should have fired him for each/any of the two previous incidents.  His behavior at the Open should seal the deal.  Frankly, the extremely talented and gracious Adam Scott's tolerance of Stevie Williams makes me think less of him.

Can him, Adam, and get a caddie concerned with your game and not his own. 

[David Kelly]

I never gave Williams any credit for Tiger's wins so it would be hypocritical of me to blame him for Scott's collapse.

[Jim Tang]

I've heard Stevie takes off his bib on 18 because he is trying to get airtime for a sponser, shown on his shirt.

Does anyone know if this is true?

It's hard to blame Stevie for Adam's implosion, because it happened over a multiple hole period and multiple missed shots contributed to it.  Ultimately, Adam is pulling the trigger on all those shots and he must accept responsibility for it.

Now, if it was one shot or one incident, perhaps you could blame the caddie.  For instance, I blame Dustin Johnson's caddie for not pointing out his man was in a bunker on the 72nd hole of the PGA.  That is something a caddie has control over and should be thinking about.

[Mark Smolens]

OK slightly OT but when a leader by four just keeps leakin oil where is his caddie? By 18 Mr. Williams, perhaps the most recognizable looper extant and self declared at that was walking five paces ahead of his player after the drive landed in the bunker.

What was Scott thinking bringing the cross bunkers into play with a three wood on that hole when he drove the ball beautifully all week? No one I have seen has yet asked why he executed that stupid shot when he has the top caddie on his bag. Did they debate and Scott overruled. I just don't understand someone getting paid that kind of money and blowing it so badly and no one seems to wamt to question it ( nothing in golfworld after a cursory look either)

Wasn't it in the playoff between Calc and Norman at the Open where Norman hit it in the cross bunker on 18? Seems very similar here. Not sure the caddy gets the blame, but Stevie's not the most sympathetic person out there so I'm sure he will get his share of criticism.

[Tom Ferrell]

I don't blame him for Scott's demise, and I don't credit him for any of Scott's accomplishments.

I blame him for being a world-class jerk.  And if I were a PGA TOUR player and MY caddie were stripping off his bib for an endorsement deal, he would be my ex-caddie right away.

[David Bartman]

I've heard Stevie takes off his bib on 18 because he is trying to get airtime for a sponser, shown on his shirt.

Does anyone know if this is true?

It's hard to blame Stevie for Adam's implosion, because it happened over a multiple hole period and multiple missed shots contributed to it.  Ultimately, Adam is pulling the trigger on all those shots and he must accept responsibility for it.

Now, if it was one shot or one incident, perhaps you could blame the caddie.  For instance, I blame Dustin Johnson's caddie for not pointing out his man was in a bunker on the 72nd hole of the PGA.  That is something a caddie has control over and should be thinking about.

I think one can easily surmise that Stevie should have had Adam either hit Driver or an iron off of the 18th tee.  Those cross bunkers were instant pitch out and had to be avoided at all costs when tied for the lead going into the final hole.  Does Stevie deserve all the blame, obviously not, Adam chose the club and hit it in the bunkers, but Stevie should have advised him otherwise, he may have, I certainly don't know, but if he didn't he deserves some of the blame.

It's obvious that you have never caddied at a high level , because the caddy, who doesn't have to worry about hitting one shot all day, should only be thinking about everything else!  Especially when things are going poorly and the player loses him/herself in the moment!

[William_G]

]

I think one can easily surmise that Stevie should have had Adam either hit Driver or an iron off of the 18th tee.  Those cross bunkers were instant pitch out and had to be avoided at all costs when tied for the lead going into the final hole.  Does Stevie deserve all the blame, obviously not, Adam chose the club and hit it in the bunkers, but Stevie should have advised him otherwise, he may have, I certainly don't know, but if he didn't he deserves some of the blame.

no doubt, that was stupid of them

[Jim Tang]

David -

I've never caddied on the PGA tour or any professional tour.  I have caddied for 10 years on and off and multiple Chicagoland courses, including Butler National and Black Sheep.

Does one need to have caddied "at a high level" to have an opinion on this matter?

Maybe Stevie DID try to get Adam to hit a driver or an iron on the 72nd hole, thereby taking the bunkers out of play, but Adam overruled him.  Do we know if they had a conversation about it?  I've not followed the story closely enough to know one way or the other.

I do not like Stevie, nor would I defend him.  He seems like a total jerk in so many ways.  But, ultimately, it is the player who gets the glory, in winning, and the blame, in losing.  It is hard to make an accurate comment on this topic because none of us have any insight into the relationship between Adam and Stevie, or how much input Stevie has about shots played during a round, as well as course management. 

To me, Adam lost the tournament with his play on 15-17.  Poor approaches into greens from the middle of the fairway and 3 putting is what did him in.  If he had handled his business on 15-17, very likely, we would not be having this discussion.

[David Bartman]

David -

I've never caddied on the PGA tour or any professional tour.  I have caddied for 10 years on and off and multiple Chicagoland courses, including Butler National and Black Sheep.

Does one need to have caddied "at a high level" to have an opinion on this matter?

Maybe Stevie DID try to get Adam to hit a driver or an iron on the 72nd hole, thereby taking the bunkers out of play, but Adam overruled him.  Do we know if they had a conversation about it?  I've not followed the story closely enough to know one way or the other.

I do not like Stevie, nor would I defend him.  He seems like a total jerk in so many ways.  But, ultimately, it is the player who gets the glory, in winning, and the blame, in losing.  It is hard to make an accurate comment on this topic because none of us have any insight into the relationship between Adam and Stevie, or how much input Stevie has about shots played during a round, as well as course management. 

To me, Adam lost the tournament with his play on 15-17.  Poor approaches into greens from the middle of the fairway and 3 putting is what did him in.  If he had handled his business on 15-17, very likely, we would not be having this discussion.

I think without seeing a player who generally makes very sound decisions, choke mentally under the circumstances , a caddie's "job" can easily be overlooked. So does it need to be at a high level, not necessarily, but the higher the level, the more likely the player is to make sound decisions, as well as the circumstances being large enough to affect said player.   Part of what separates tour caddies from one another is their ability to get through to a player when the player is spiraling out of control or better yet, making sure the player never gets to that point.  Getting yardages, raking traps, cleaning clubs, keeping clubs dry, making sure umbrella , food and drink are always available are things almost all get right on an everyday basis.   

 I admitted that Stevie could have mentioned a different club to him, and if that is the case, even more blame to Adam,   Heck, he could have ripped off the bib, because he was pissed that Adam didn't listen.  But if he didn't mention it, he failed as a caddie and should be responsible for some of the blame.

Of course 15-17 did him in, he lost 3 shots to par in 3 holes.  The OP opined if SW should take some of the blame, and specifically brought up the cross bunkers on 18. 

[Charlie_Bell]

Stevie has been pulling the bib stunt for years.  It is indeed meant to expose a sponsor's name.  That said, I'd love to hear what Adam thinks of Stevie's performance overall.  He might contend that without Stevie, he wouldn't have been leading by 4 after 68 holes.

[jeffwarne]

.

[Mark McKeever]

I hope he cans Stevie after how everything unfolded.

Mark

[A.G._Crockett]

I never gave Williams any credit for Tiger's wins so it would be hypocritical of me to blame him for Scott's collapse.

This is dead on.  Tiger has won 14 majors; Williams hasn't won the B flight in the member-guest. The saying "He was born on third base and thinks he hit a triple" could have been coined for anybody caddying for Tiger Woods in the glory years.  If my grandmother's casket had wheels, she could have done it.

The one thing I might give Williams credit for would be providing a thug presence to keep looney fans and photographers at bay for Tiger, but even than is arguable as to its import.

We saw what Williams was about after he and Tiger parted company, and that was confirmed last weekend; no surprises. 

[Patrick_Mucci]

Only one person's hands are attached to the club/s !

[Sam Morrow]

I never saw Steve hit a shot.

[Kris Shreiner]

While he doesn't hit the shots, and the player deserves full credit for his/her accomplishments, no one can deny Steve Willams has been the most successful career caddie in professinal golf...EVER! He has over a hundred wins, with MANY different players. Though quite a few were with several of the best to ever play, there's a reason they use him; he's that good.

I don't care for his personality much. He has also had plenty of opportunity through the years to influence caddie golf in a positive way if he wished. Can't say he's done anything much of note at all on that score, save a junor program he sponsors for youth in New Zealand. He's cocky, but the best often are.

He did a VERY POOR job handling Adam down the stretch. I believe on the 3 wood tee shot that found the bunker Scott had hit iron wonderfully all week on that hole. I doubt the conditions were that different that he had to hit that much more club. He need par or better, to stay tied or win. Why force the issue? Stevie had the dimmer switch on there to not call him off that choice. Adam should have closed the deal. He took the gas and lost it, but Steve did little more than a drone effort,  as he seemed more detached observer watching a train wreck develop, than a partner trying to assist his player capture his first Major. While I was happy to see Ernie win, I was pulling for Scott, even if I'm not a big fan of his caddie. A pity he collapsed.

Cheers,
Kris

[A.G._Crockett]

Kris,
I'll concede that Stevie Williams is a great caddy, and has been for a long time.   But the ONLY reason that you know how many wins Williams has (and I would argue that it is zero, btw) is because Tiger used him for an extraordinarly long period of time.  If he has over a hundred wins, that means he got about 70% of them with Woods.

Who was Hogan's caddy?  Snead's?  Who caddied for Bobby Jones? 

Let's don't get carried away with what a caddy does, even at the highest level.  More media coverage has made caddies a lot better known over the last couple of decades, from Angelo on Jack's bag down; they're on TV every time the player is.  But Stevie Williams has never hit a shot on Tour, and never will.  Tiger was winning before Stevie, and he's winning again without him.

Tiger's wins (and losses) are Tiger's, and Scott's loss was his and his alone. 

[Matt MacIver]

I'm not a big Stevie fan.  But couldn't it be possible that his quick pace was to get Scott motivated?  Or get to his ball in the bunker first to assess the lie, and options?  I know a few groups were on the clock on Sunday, were they? 

I'm looking forward to following Adam's next tournament outing, whereever and whenever that is.  If he can quickly put it behind him, ala Rory, then I like his chances at Kiawah. 

[ward peyronnin]

Pat and Sam. Adam Scott took home $840K. What is std caddie fee 7 to 10%?

His caddie made between $60 and 80 K for a weeks work and all that should be required of him is to drag a bag, give yardages, and count clubs and the rest is up to the player. I would love that kind of salary for that work.

So what are you saying that Adam Scott just overlook his caddies performance and rub some dirt on it. That Williams has no accountability? To me this is not same but on the order of Woosie's caddie adding a driver to his bag. My reaction is that Williams has created for himself a large role but is not delivering. Not only could he have assisted  his player down the stretch with some course management to cash a bigger paychek we all know the additional payoff for winning the thing.

But I am truly mystified that the media seems to be just leaving it alone after all the splash about him this year. Out of deference to Scott?

[Nigel Islam]

Can you imagine Williams bawling like Ricci Roberts? And Els has fired Roberts at least a half dozen times! Williams may have cried when they told him he could not keep the Claret Jug

[Andrew Summerell]

I got up at 2am back here in Australia to watch Scott win & ended up being very disappointed again.

This is an unusual thread for a golf architecture site. Does anyone who has commented know Steve Williams personally? (Not just met him, but actually know him) Did anyone who has posted on this thread hear any relevant conversation between Williams & Scott over the last 4 holes? Yet, there seems to be a lot of blame being laid on Williams for Scott’s poor play & decision making.

Scott has performed poorly compared to expectations based on his perceived talent for many years in majors. It has only been the last couple of years that he has given himself a chance on a regular basis in the majors. On top of that, he has been a poor putter, compared to the level of golfers he is competing against, for many years, especially under pressure.

Regarding The Open Championship this year, I can only comment on what I saw, and what I saw was a golfer who got himself into a winning position, then began to miss greens, miss putts and made poor decisions.

Regarding caddies: Does anybody blame Palmer’s caddie for the 1966 U.S. Open? Does anybody blame Norman’s caddie (Tony Navarro, I think) when he lost the Master’s to Faldo? Do we blame Jean Van De Velde’s caddie for his last hole meltdown?

In the end Scott has only one person to blame – himself.

[Charlie_Bell]

Andrew, I feel the anguish of your sleep-deprived disappointment.  Ouch, and zzzzz....   

Of course all of us are speculating, but I don't think it's unreasonable to surmise that caddies can materially help or hurt -- or at least fail to help -- a player in competition. Why else would players routinely acknowledge their caddies after a good week, and why else would caddies persist in using the first-person plural when describing a day's round?  Finally, why else would players pay caddies so much, and generally retain their caddies for long periods of time, rather than simply hiring a local, week after week?  Again, we can only speculate, but to me it seems at least possible that players value their caddies coaching and counseling during a round because it makes a difference, however slight. On Sunday, in my opinion, Stevie may have had a less-than-stellar back nine, along with his gracious and talented employer.