Steve Williams, ex-caddie of Tiger Woods, aims racial slur at him

SHANGHAI -- Tiger Woods' former caddie caused another sensation Friday night by using a racial slur to disparage his old boss during a caddies award roast.

Steve Williams received a mock award Friday night for "Celebration of the Year" for his TV interview after Adam Scott won the Bridgestone Invitational. That was the day Williams said it was "the best win of my life" despite being on the bag with Woods for 13 majors.

At the awards party, Williams uttered a highly derogatory racial remark that drew the biggest reaction at a party attended by several players, caddies, officials and some media. There was a mixture of laughter and shock, with some players turning to each other with eyes widened and jaws agape.

The provision of the party is that all comments are off the record. Approached early the next morning at breakfast, Williams was stunned to learn that British tabloids had gone with the story. "Why would they do that?" he said. "The whole thing was meant to be fun."

Hours later, Williams posted a comment on his website.

"I apologize for comments I made last night at the Annual Caddy Awards dinner in Shanghai," it said. "Players and caddies look forward to this evening all year, and the spirit is always joking and fun. I now realize how my comments could be construed as racist. However, I assure you that was not my intent. I sincerely apologize to Tiger and anyone else I've offended."

Woods was in Australia, though it didn't take long for the comments to get back to him. "I was with Tiger last night when he heard the news," Mark Steinberg, his agent, told The Associated Press. "We got multiple calls from people who sounded like they were leaving the caddie party. Tiger obviously wasn't there. He doesn't know exactly what was said. But if multiple reports -- which all seem to be accurate -- are true, then it's sad it's come down to this."