Golf: Hidden partner in golfing success stories

On sabbatical from long-time employer Tiger Woods, New Zealander Steve Williams (left) is on the bag for Australian Adam Scott at the US Open. Photo / AP

The relationship between golfer and caddy is among the most interesting in sport.

Tiger Woods and Steve Williams have become one of the most famous partnerships in sport.

This may be an unequal deal, with Tiger set for superstardom long before he gave Williams a call.

Then again, would Tiger have fulfilled his potential without Williams, or with another caddy might he have achieved any more?

We'll never know, but strong golfer-caddy partnerships have been central to some of the legendary careers.

In the case of Woods and the large figure of Williams, one without the other is a rather strange sight on the golf course.

But that's what happened at this week's US Open where the Kiwi caddy grabbed the bag of Aussie Adam Scott after the injured Tiger granted him a sabbatical.

The relationship between golfer and caddy is among the most interesting in sport. Some last for decades, others barely survive a week.

Woods and Williams have lasted, through a lot of thick and an increasing amount of thin.

We trawl through the good, the bad and the ugly of golfer-caddy partnerships.

Lee Trevino/Herman Mitchell
Set the benchmark in golfer/caddy friendships. The talkative Trevino, a six-time major winner, held Mitchell's bag so to speak when the big caddy's health was on the slide. Trevino continued to pay Mitchell, bought him a car, a house, and even paid for his weight management programme. Mitchell had a decent line in quips and an aggressive bodyguard style a la Steve Williams, to the point he was reined in by concerned officials. His golf-cart driving tactics on the senior tour have been described as interesting. The poorly educated Mitchell, a caddy since childhood, adored golf and Trevino, and the feeling was mutual. Never to be out-quipped, Trevino reckoned his putts always broke towards the oversized Mitchell.

Colin Montgomerie/A long list
Montgomerie isn't caddy heaven. The moody Scot was even sacked by a caddy this year and had trouble finding a replacement. "The search is on, this is amazing, all applicants should apply," Monty joked. If a long term golfer/caddie relationship is akin to marriage, it can also be used to analyse a marriage. Monty's longtime caddy Alastair McLean reportedly became a dedicated sounding board during the breakup of a Monty marriage. Without a caddy for the US Open in 2007, Monty was assigned an affable 62-year-old named Billy Goddard, who got the blame for one bad shot, followed by the silent treatment. Goddard reckoned: "He just gets mad at himself ... and he got mad at me."

Jack Nicklaus/Angelo Argea
The Greece-born Argea was the Nicklaus caddy for more than 20 years from 1963. Argea stood out with his grey afro and Nicklaus once joked that his caddy had "essentially been retired since he was 21". In keeping with this, tour insiders reckoned Argea didn't do a lot compared to other caddies. Argea kind of concurred, saying Nicklaus asked him to do two things: "When he's not playing well, remind him he's the best golfer out there [and] that there are plenty of holes left." Argea was fun to be around, according to Nicklaus, and their success had much to do with their rapport.

Tiger Woods/Fluff Cowan
This young-superstar-and-old-head partnership came crashing down well short of its destiny. Having assisted Woods to his first major, Cowan got the boot after getting too big for his boots via endorsements, commercials and talking about earnings. There were also claims that Cowan skipped homework, leading to Tiger "mis-clubbing". Tiger might have done with more missed clubbing a few years later.

Nick Faldo/Fanny Sunesson
England's Faldo and Swede Sunesson were a famous duo - female caddies are not exactly commonplace to this day. Her effervescent character balanced Faldo's obsessive nature. Sunesson was vital to his career and after her repeated back problems, Faldo had his bag redesigned for better weight distribution. Money distribution is just as important, though, and when Faldo's career faltered, Sunesson quit for an ill-fated stint with Sergio Garcia. She has since won fame as a mentor to the nondescript German star Martin Kaymer.

Martin Kaymer/Craig Connolly
Speaking of Kaymer ... as shocks go, Kaymer's sacking of Connolly this year was up there. The pair had an inauspicious start last year, when Connolly fell in a bunker during their first round. A brilliant year in which Kaymer won a major and became the world No 1 was apparently not enough to save the caddy's job after Kaymer crashed to a world ranking of three. No rapport there, obviously.

Louis Oosthuizen/Zack Rasego
Rasego was about to get sacked when he carried his fellow South African's bag to a shock victory in last year's British Open. Instead of being out on his ear, Rasego found himself with $200,000 in the bank, and a job ... for another 10 months. Rasego got the chop last month after Oosthuizen failed in the world matchplay.

A long list/Rick Reilly
Reilly, America's famous sports columnist, lifted the lid on the golfer/caddy relationship with his book Who's Your Caddy? Researching the project by carrying the bag for all and sundry, Reilly pointed the bone with his famous funny bone. Lessons included the importance of ensuring clubs do not make a rattling noise. One of his golfers was Tommy Aaron, who believed caddies should be seen and not heard. He told the vocal Reilly: "Keep your mouth off my ball - don't talk to it." Reilly forgot the caddy's lot, though, when he callously suggested Steve Williams be sacked in a makeover for the philandering Tiger Woods.

Gary Player/Wally Armstrong
Player, a nine-time major winner, was, is, fastidious. While trying out as a caddy for the little legend, Armstrong left a bunch of bananas in his bag. They rotted and took Player's rain gear and gloves for the messy ride. Armstrong didn't survive.

Ignacio Garrido/Various Spaniard
Ignacio was denied a likely British Masters victory in the late 1990s, being penalised four strokes when his bag was found to contain an illegal 15th club belonging to his caddy. The caddy kept his job. Garrido was recently pictured carrying his own clubs in Spain, his injured caddy strolling alongside. Can you imagine Colin Montgomerie doing that.