"A high-profile golfer has been laying bets that Williams would be axed and replaced with Billy Foster"

Robert Lusetich's original story on Steve Williams' denial of Joslyn James' suggestions that they knew each other was "updated" with this little item:

A high-profile golfer has been laying bets that Williams would be axed and replaced with Billy Foster, a well-respected Englishman who caddies for Lee Westwood.

Foster, who said last week that he knew nothing of any such plan, filled in for Williams at the 2005 Presidents Cup so Williams could be with his wife, Kirsty, as she gave birth to their first son.

But Williams confirmed Sunday that he would be on Woods’ bag for his comeback tournament next month at Augusta National.

The Last Two Ari Fleischer Questions

We hardly knew ya, Ari. Before we say goodbye, there are still a few unanswered questions I have regarding Tiger's former advisor.

Now, I was listening to the Golf Channel Tavistock coverage Monday and heard my pal Tim Rosaforte say  that Ari has laid out a script and Team Tiger will be following it in the days to come. That may well be the case. But I doubt it.

Isn't it hard to believe that a PR guru would leave because he was was causing an unwanted distraction, when the client in question needs people to be distracted as much as possible right now? Or when it's arguably the greatest account a PR guru could possibly land in the history of celebrity image rehab?

What Would Ari Fleischer Have Done?

It's a question I ask of myself every morning, and it's the question that keeps coming back to me after Tiger's whirlwind, out-of-the-blue, totally bizarre Sunday interview hits with ESPN and Golf Channel.

Remember that Fleischer client Mark McGuire sat down for a long, tough interview with Bob Costas along with several other Q&A's. The New York Times' Richard Sandomir called it a "how to" strategy that, while not perfect, allowed McGuire to return to baseball as Cardinal hitting coach:

In his repeated confessions Monday, he had no defiance or anger, just sadness and tears.

“I like the door-to-door strategy, in that he is telling his story in long form and in less confrontational settings,” said Kevin Sullivan, a former White House communications director who runs a strategic-communications company. “He needed to rip the Band-Aid off before heading to spring training.”

With that in mind, it's hard to fathom that Fleischer would have concocted today's first step, which was poorly timed on many levels. It took away from what little attention a regular tour event would have received, it arrived on the first weekend of the NCAA tournament and on the day of the health care bill vote.

Then there was an enormously strange arrangement (5 minutes?) that exerted too much control over the media agencies for the interviews to have any lasting credibility (except with the Golf Channel studio analysts).

It makes me wonder if Fleischer really did leave the Woods advisory team because he had become a distraction?

Sources: Tag Heuer Not Yet Developing Dual Watch/Buddhist Bracelet

I'm sure Leno, Letterman and everyone else will have fun with the cutaway shot of Tiger's new Buddhist bracelet (he swears it will never come off). Naturally, the cynic in me smells a possible first Golf Digest instruction tip: "How I Gained 10 mph of Clubhead Speed With a Rubber Band-Like Thing On My Wrist."
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How's The Transitions Championship Coming Along?**

Just kidding, I saw that Furyk shank on 18 before he won. Then it was time to turn over to the interviews.

But how are the Transitions people feeling right now? They have a late Sunday finish, great leaderboard and Tiger decides to do promptu-impromptu interviews that take attention away. Even Golf Channel, which had an on-course set (doesn't Transitions pay for that?) virtually deserted post-game coverage to put the interview show on a loop.