Stevie Williams Book Excerpt: I Felt Like Tiger's "Slave"

Break out the tissues because Stevie Williams is finally telling all about his days carrying Tiger's luggage (with help from journalist Michael Donaldson) and it's a tearjerker.

In the excerpt posted by New Zealand's stuff.co.nz, Williams explains how he knew nothing of Tiger's philandering and was kept in the dark during Tiger's rehab, except for an email from the boss. But he sets things up with the week in Melbourne when Tiger's affair with Rachel Uchitel was about to be revealed and the boss got out of town in a hurry.

But the joy of winning dissipated in the strangest fashion. No sooner had Tiger fulfilled his media obligations than he fled to the airport in a chopper, leaving me to head back to the hotel on my own. As I was driving, I got a text from Mark Steinberg which read, 'There is a story coming out tomorrow. Absolutely no truth to it. Don't speak to anybody.'

Steiny!

Williams goes on to explain all of the things he got off his chest about how he was treated during the scandal by Tiger, Steiny, Steiny's "lackeys" and had this to say about Tiger's most irritating traits.

One thing that really pissed me off was how he would flippantly toss a club in the general direction of the bag, expecting me to go over and pick it up. I felt uneasy about bending down to pick up his discarded club – it was like I was his slave.

Technically, I believe that is part of the job if the boss says so. Go on...

The other thing that disgusted me was his habit of spitting at the hole if he missed a putt. Tiger listened to what I had to say, the air was cleared and we got on with it – his goal was to be the best player in history and my goal was to keep working as best I could to help make that happen.

For a little while longer, anyway.

The book goes on sale Monday.

Lorne: An Ode To Glen Abbey

Lorne Rubenstein sounds resigned to the demise of Glen Abbey and while he points out that it's no Pebble Beach, there is plenty of history there.

He writes:

Then there was the first Open at the Abbey in 1977, won by Lee Trevino. The Abbey has hosted 26 more Canadian Opens since; I’ve attended most every one and caddied in a few, for Jim Nelford first, and then, in 2004, for Richard Zokol. The Abbey has been a terrific home — well, all but a home — for the Canadian Open. But times change. Land values swell. It’s not a shock that ClubLink is interested in turning iconic golf holes into what will likely be cookie-cutter homes. Any other view is sentimental and clouded. I say this as a golfer and writer long smitten with the game’s history.

Tiger To Design Course In Nashville?

With his golf game looking increasingly like it'll be on ice for the forseeable future, Tiger Woods at least has picked up another design job.

According to GolfNewsNet, the job comes from the same developers of Bluejack National, which opens this week without Tiger able to appear at the ribbon cutting due to this second back surgery in a little over a month.

Dallas-based Beacon Land Development is planning on a 1,200-acre development, located 30 miles south of Nashville, that would feature a Woods-designed golf course, according to the Nashville Business Journal. The community, as one might guess, will also feature a music venue.

Beacon Land Development is the firm which hired Woods to redesign Bluejack National.

"Are guns welcome at Trump hotels? Depends on whom you ask"

Following Wednesday’s Republican presidential debate discussion, Jonathan Allen of Reuters seeks to answer the question: are guns welcome at Trump hotels?

Allen sets up the moment from the debate:

Trump, who has spent months as the Republican favorite in polls, was in the middle of saying that gun-free zones in schools and elsewhere are a "catastrophe" that only make it easier for shootings to happen when a moderator asked him about his properties.

"We called a few Trump resorts," said moderator Carl Quintanilla, "that do not allow guns with or without a permit. Would you change those policies?"

Trump's eyes drifted up in thought for a split second. "I would change them," he said almost immediately, in a tone suggesting he had not considered it before but liked the idea. "OK. I would change them."

But Allen reports good news for those wanted to carry a Glock around the Blue Monster just in case the group in front of you gets too slow.

But the Trump Organization said there was nothing to change: guns are already allowed at Trump properties, even if the boss and some resorts appear unaware of this.

"While laws vary substantially from jurisdiction to jurisdiction," the company said in a statement, "we allow security personnel and other licensed individuals the ability to carry a firearm in an effort to protect themselves, our guests, associates and the general public." The firm, based in New York City, is opposed to gun-free zones, the statement said.

It declined to say why Trump and some of his hotels seemed unaware of this policy. Spokeswomen for Trump, who has been attacked by his Republican rivals who accuse him of being a less-than-serious candidate, did not respond to requests for comment.

Allen says calls to Trump properties either were not returned or garnered irritable hang-ups.

"Public park vies for pro golf, sparking New Orleans debate"

AP's Cain Burdeau looks at the lack of community consensus over City Parks' $13 million Rees Jones renovation that is remaking the New Orleans park post-Katrina. A Zurich Classic date post-2020 is mentioned as a possibility.

Burdeau writes:

A group called the City Park for Everyone Coalition filed a lawsuit against the park, alleging it had violated wetlands protection laws by digging up the golf course and filling in wetlands.

In July, the Army Corps of Engineers agreed with the plaintiffs and said the park had illegally removed a 1.3-acre area of wetlands.

Golfers, too, have expressed doubts about the pricy course in the public park.

"I'm expecting nothing but fantastic out of it," said Carl Poche, a pro golfer from the New Orleans area. But he said building a top-flight course in City Park is contrary to the spirit of the park, where he fondly remembers playing rounds during the summer as a young man.

"It was mainly for people who couldn't afford the country club," he said.

Feherty Has More To Say On Move From CBS; Guest Wish List

Marika Washchyshyn at golf.com talks to David Feherty about his move from CBS to NBC and for the first time the funnyman mentions that there was a bit of a money issue.

Answering a question about rumors of wanting more booth time and less golf course time:

It was a combination of things. Money was always an issue, of course. I have been doing this for about 19 years, it was time to make that change. But the other aspect was that I’m going to be doing basically the same thing at NBC/Golf Channel. I’m going to be working more four-day events there than I was at CBS. Because I’m working all four days, whereas I was only working five four-day events at CBS, I’m going to work less events overall but more of the four day ones [by extension, more time in the booth]. The first few days, I’ll be in the tower like I was at CBS, but look, I’m an outside pet. Someone has got to be out there stirring things up on the course.

There was also this about his Golf Channel interview show and desired guests. It really is sad that for all the First Team All-Conference sucking up he's done to Tiger, the Big Bat hasn't been able to find time for an appearance.

There are a number who are on my bucket list, some of whom haven’t been able to come on because of scheduling, like Freddy [Couples], Ernie Els, Phil, Tiger. But really, I’d say Tiger. I want to show the side of Tiger that I know, the side the media doesn’t show. Part of the reason he hasn’t been on is that he’s not ready - he gets defensive, because we in the media have given him such a hard time.

And it just goes to show that even kissing up to Tiger doesn't earn you the chance for a one-on-one!

The Youth Movement Is Real Because They Play A Different Game

Let's be honest: the youth hype in golf started as an effort to appeal to folks who don't watch golf for ad buyers who want to reach a younger audience. Then one by one men in their early 20s and women in their teens started not only getting tour cards, they started winning.

Yet something about the recent back-to-back wins to start the 2015-16 PGA Tour schedule by Grillo and Kaufmann have, in a weird way, been as powerful as the emergence of Spieth, Day and McIlroy. Why? Because we're seeing an ushering in of fearless youth clearly playing a different game, especially under final round pressure. These are not mere copy cats or young ones inspired by their peers.

Jaime Diaz, like me, was a skeptic of the rush to declare that a youth movement had taken hold. But after Kaufman's final round 61 and Las Vegas win--by someone who was not even a full time starter at LSU--he's no longer a denier.

There has been a discernible increase in truly competitive, younger-than-ever players who are ready to win. They might have names we barely know, but there are really no more upsets or even Cinderella stories in pro golf.

It’s evolution – from a litany of factors. Bigger and athletes drawn to the sport, following better fitness regimens, who have emulated physical specimens like Tiger, Dustin and Rory. There is more intense early competition, and equipment that can be tuned to minimize persistent flaws, breeding more confidence to swing harder.

But the biggest reason? Style of play.