Tiger Woods’ fired caddie, Steve Williams, said his former boss should have been disqualified after taking an illegal drop during the Masters last week at Augusta National, although he was not seeking an advantage.
Williams, who was on Woods’ bag for a 12-year span that included 72 victories worldwide and 13 major championships, told 3 News in his native New Zealand that he didn’t think Woods was “trying to gain anything on the field” but he should have been DQ’d nevertheless.
“From what I can gather, he took an illegal drop, signed a scorecard and left the course,” Williams told the television station. “Under most circumstances that would result in disqualification. … If the rules of golf are upheld, I believe he should have been disqualified.”
Woods was deemed to have taken an improper drop on the 15th hole during the second round last Friday after his approach shot hit the pin and bounced back into the water. He made a bogey-6 on the hole, which the following morning was revised to a triple-bogey 8.
Before 2012, Woods would have been disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard. But under new rules enacted by the United States Golf Association and R&A in 2011, a player can have penalty strokes added afterward when facts were not reasonably presented at the time of scorecard signing.
Williams noted that he didn’t fully understand the relatively new rule.
Masters officials were first alerted of Woods’ illegal drop by a television viewer, something Williams believes should not be allowed.
“I don’t think people should be able to phone in and have any kind of affect on a golf tournament,” Williams told 3 News. “I don’t think people should be able to sit back and have an outcome on a tournament.
“Tiger certainly wasn’t trying to gain anything on the field there. Obviously he was frustrated and he mistook the rule between a red line and a yellow line and where you can drop. … It was a mistake.”
