Steiny On Stevie: "It’s sad it’s come down to this.”

Doug Ferguson, filing from Shanghai, tracks down Tiger Woods agent Mark Steinberg for comment on Steve Williams' racially provocative remarks.

“I was with Tiger last night when he heard the news,” Mark Steinberg, his agent at Excel Sports Management, 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.”

Ferguson also explains the event in question, reminds us that Williams got in trouble at a similar dinner when he called Phil Mickelson a prick, and shares this about the reaction to the Williams comment:

That line 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, yet several caddies couldn’t stop talking about it long after it was over. 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.”