Golf is the most gentlemanly of games, probably because it is one of the few that allow players to perform at its highest level well into their maturity.
One of its genteel pretences is that the caddy is mere bag carrier, playing no mentionable part in the contest. Steve Williams blew that myth away this week.
In the fuss that has followed his comments on Monday, golf writers, particularly in the United States, rebuked him for giving little credit to the man who swung the clubs in the tournament at Akron. Williams has reason to regret that much of his post-match interview.
But he was asked how he felt at that moment and he answered truthfully. Despite his years as bagman for the incomparable Tiger Woods, it is not hard to believe that guiding a previous underachiever to victory was more personally satisfying.
The player, Adam Scott, said, "He really guided me around the course nicely; when he needed to step in and just make a point about where we needed to be, he did, and had some great little notes in his book about putts on greens."
