The world's most famous caddie is entitled to a place at Tiger Woods' side when he returns, says Chris Rattue.
It's a loser sticking up for Tiger Woods, but an entirely different story for the man who carries his sticks.
His caddie, Kiwi Steve Williams, is getting tarred with Tiger's brush, and it just ain't fair.
One of America's most famous sports journalists, Rick Reilly, called on Woods to sack Williams, part of a new broom theory to restore a life that has turned into a car crash because of a sex scandal.
Reilly's words caught major attention. His intro to the comment piece is the smartest single line you might read in this whole out-of-control affair about affairs. He reckoned Tiger Woods is the first man to crash into a hydrant and set himself on fire. Brilliant.
Reilly should have backed the truck up from there, however. Williams didn't deserve to be attacked in any way, or to have his career threatened.
Maybe patriotism is helping drive this column, because New Zealanders are proud of Williams' pivotal part in the most remarkable of golf and sports careers. Williams is among the most famous sidekicks in all of sport. Our little country doesn't get such a direct line to greatness all that often.
Beyond the Kiwi connection, there are other reasons to care about this because a media foundation stone should protect the innocent, from tramps to presidents.
The Woods scandal is so large, fluid, erratic and bizarre that it's hard to deal with the entire equation.
Williams is easy to defend, however, and why on earth would Woods want to discard such a brilliant assistant?
Reilly was treating an innocent party, Williams, callously. Don't forget, Williams has just lost his exciting career for now.
A stunned Williams quite rightly fired back at the weekend, pointing out that he is an employee of Woods, not his constant companion. He could have added that employees are not required to act as a conscience or whistleblower in their employers' personal lives.
Furthermore, there is no suggestion Williams was involved in any shenanigans.
Even if Williams did know about Tiger's "transgressions", what on earth was he supposed to do? Ring Elin and spill the beans?
I won't claim to have always been a great fan of the Woods-Williams combo, who have an arrogant, bovver-boy demeanour at times. In Williams' defence, however, dealing with Tigermania has put him into a caddie category all of its own.
And the man has done his high-pressure job, that of guiding and cajoling Woods, superbly. Williams even says he will caddie only for Tiger, that his career will be over once Woods calls it quits.
Don't throw away that yardage book just yet, Stevie boy. If Tiger plays his cards right, he'll be back. Time does heal.
As for the whole scandal, this is new territory for all of us.
The business of Woods chopping has taken off like wildfire because the media is vast, aggressive and skilful in making contacts and a buck. Allied to that, the public domain, the internet, is a bottomless pit of opinion, information and jokes - good and bad.
This has become a mad story out of proportion to important events of the day, and what has gone on in the past.
Forty-plus years ago, a married American President named John F. Kennedy was a relentless woman chaser and one mistress, Marilyn Monroe, even got to sing a very public and flirtatious happy birthday song to him. Yet Americans look back at JFK's Camelot fondly.
Kennedy's brother Teddy left a woman for dead in a lake, escaped punishment, and went on to be regarded as a legislative hero of the democracy. Their family was and is adored.
Tiger never left anyone for dead and he didn't kiss his porn star girlfriends on the final greens. He would not be the only sports star who made mistakes and found redemption, or the only one whose imagedoes not tally with real life.
There is justified fury at the outrageous falseness, yet such intense scrutiny is not aimed elsewhere, and the public is largely shielded from other packs of lies.
This scandal will blow over and find its proper place because they all do. At the age of 33 Woods should be far from done.
So Woods is taking an "indefinite break" from golf, yet the applause for major winners will drive him to distraction at first, and then despair.
Tiger Woods lives and breathes golf and his pursuit of the Jack Nicklaus record. He won't even know who he is without those.
My guess is that there is no such thing as a happy family life for Tiger Woods and his clan unless he plays golf. To deny him would have been like taking politics away from Winston Churchill, or dancing from Fred Astaire.
Woods will quickly feel trapped, frustrated, angry and miss the challenges of being centre stage. To hide out will only feed the shame.
His wife must know he will resume the career that defines who he is, and maybe even who she is to a degree. To live with a partner who is daily denied such a clear and famous destiny must turn into agony. Resentment will fester. I doubt they could survive that.
One day Woods will take the plunge and brave the embarrassment and hecklers. He will also find plenty of supporters.
When he does return, Steve Williams has every right to be at his side. Williams earned his place at the top. He never lived the life of Riley, and Reilly should respect his.
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The soccer world club championship revealed the possibilities and dangers that await our All Whites in the World Cup finals in South Africa. Auckland City have done New Zealand and our football proud with a stirring win, including two fabulous goals, over the host club at the tournament in the United Arab Emirates. However, Auckland City came unstuck against a Mexican side who owned the ball, and played them off the park. Our skill levels need to increase. If the top All Whites stay fit, they could surprise - if only mildly - at the World Cup. But against a team as good as Italy, we could also get ripped apart.
