Week in Review
Alternate Realities
Tiger Woods and Steve Williams each have a warped view of the world
Despite ample evidence to the contrary, Woods said he was encouraged by his play at Firestone.
A cursory check on Sunday night of the latest odds on the PGA Championship revealed that Steve Williams is off the board. The only explanation is that too much action flowed his way in the wake of his astounding victory in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.
Tiger Woods, meanwhile, is still garnering enough action that he remains at 20/1, according to Jeff Sherman of GolfOdds.com and the assistant director of the Las Vegas Hilton Sports Book.
Woods has been at 20/1 since Sherman first released his PGA Championship odds in the wake of the British Open, this before anyone knew whether he'd be playing in the year's fourth major at the Atlanta Athletic Club this week.
Now that we know he's playing, there is no less uncertainty, this time over how he'll play. Woods tied for 37th at Firestone Country Club and provided no indication other than his own assessment that he's progressing.
"I'm absolutely encouraged," he said on Sunday.
The numbers, meanwhile, shouldn't promote confidence. Woods was last in a field of 76 in driving accuracy (39.3 percent), tied for 26th in greens in regulation (65.3 percent), and tied for 43rd in putts per round (29.3).
"He drove it so bad Sunday, he can't feel good about that," his former instructor Hank Haney wrote on Twitter.
Related: Tiger's up-and-down pattern
Woods was either predictably rusty following his long layoff or still somewhat lost.
Oh, and by the way, Williams did not actually win the Bridgestone. Adam Scott did. We think.
WHO REALLY WON THE BRIDGESTONE?
At times it was difficult to tell whether Scott or Williams won.
"From tweets and articles in some places, [it] looks like Steve Williams shot a career best 62 today. I wonder what Adam Scott did," NBC Sports' Ryan Ballengee wrote on Twitter after the first round.
Related: Complete transcript of Steve Williams' Sunday interview
On Sunday's telecast, CBS' Gary McCord contributed to the Williams glorification to which Ballengee had alluded. When Scott was on the tee at the 16th hole, the leader by four, McCord said, "Tell you what, Nick, Steve Williams looks like he's got him a little more focused. What do you think?"
"Absolutely," Nick Faldo replied.
"Totally different demeanor," McCord said.
Two points:
• Scott was No. 17 in the World Ranking entering the Bridgestone Invitational. His performance was not a shocking development.
• Scott tied for second in the Masters without Williams on his bag. He missed the cut in the U.S. Open with Williams on the bag. What's it mean? Nothing. That's the point.
Peter Kostis, thankfully, set the record straight on the impetus for Scott's revival and his win at Firestone: An improved short game, notably his putting.
Meanwhile, after Scott holed out on 18, David Feherty interviewed Scott. Then he interviewed Williams. When did golf become a team sport?
"To have that man on your bag, Steve Williams, just that kind of strength and character behind you, on your side, did it make a difference?" Feherty asked Scott.
By character, presumably Feherty was not referring to how gracelessly Williams handled his dismissal by Woods, compounding his gracelessness by going on national television and dissing the former employer who made him a multimillionaire and the wealthiest caddie in history.
"I've got to tell you, David, I've been caddying for 33 years and that's the best week of my life," Williams said in his interview with Feherty. "I've caddied for 33 years now, 145 wins, and that's the best win I've ever had."
"Wow," Jim Nantz said. "Pretty interesting comment."
"Obviously, there's an underlying message in that," Faldo replied.
Obviously. And it was not one that suggests a man of strong character.
AN ASIDE
Woods was asked 10 caddie questions during his Tuesday news conference.
At the risk of diminishing Williams' importance, we note that in the Pacific 10 Championship in 1996, Woods had rounds of 61 and 65 in a single day, in 95-degree heat on a hilly course, Big Canyon Country Club in Newport Beach, Calif. On one of the finest days in a career of great ones, Woods was carrying his own bag.
It is immaterial who Woods' caddie was, is or will be.
THEN AGAIN...
Williams has escorted the winner of the Bridgestone on eight occasions, the first seven with Woods.
He also earned more money than Tiger last week. Woods earned $58,500 for finishing T-37. Williams, assuming Scott paid him the customary 10 percent for a win, earned $140,000 from first prize money of $1.4 million, plus whatever weekly allowance he is paid.
TIGER VS. HANEY
Woods is an easy target these days, but some of it he brings on himself. He took his own thinly-veiled shots last week, these at Haney, who responded via Twitter.
Related: Golf's biggest breakups"I'm hitting it just so much more flush, and I'm just not used to that," Woods said on Thursday. "[Before] my swing was more of a wipey swing, just kind of wiping it out there, so I wasn't getting a full transfer of energy. Now I'm swinging easier. I am not even hitting it hard yet, and that's what's fun. I'm hitting it farther without any more effort."
What is a wipey swing?
"I have no idea," Haney said on Twitter. Haney then had some fun at Tiger's expense. One Twitter follower suggested that Haney's new motto should be, "Come to the Hank Haney Golf Schools and learn the wipey swing."
