COMMUNITY

Tiger Woods’ caddie Steve Williams has dedicated his New Zealand stock car championship to his embattled friend and employer.

“I realize Tiger’s going through a difficult time and I hope my success on the track cheers him up a bit,” Williams said.
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In an interview with FOXSports.com from his Home in Auckland, Williams also said he had “no idea“ when Woods would return to competitive Golf.

He said he‘d spoken with Woods by telephone — their birthdays last week were a day apart — but declined to discuss those conversations.

Williams, who turned 47 the day before Woods turned 34, beat 60 drivers on Saturday night to win his country’s Saloon Car championship at Maunganui's Baypark Speedway.

It was his first national championship in the saloon class and came on the heels of his victory in the North Island Saloon Championship.

On Friday night, Williams will again get behind the wheel of his Mustang as he attempts to sweep the treble with a win in the Super Saloon class, a title he won in 2006.

“It’s been a great run and for sure it’s helped in keeping my mind off what’s going on (with Tiger),” he said.

“I work in a high-pressure environment as a caddie so racing’s a great release for me and always has been.”

Williams, whose team, Caddyshack Racing, is named after Tiger’s favorite movie, said he treated stock car racing as “more than a hobby."

“People recognize me as a caddie, but I treat my racing equally as seriously as my career as a caddie,” he said.

Woods said in a statement issued on his Web site last month that he was taking an indefinite leave from golf after admitting to marital infidelity. A string of women have gone public with claims of having affairs with the world’s no. 1 golfer, who is married to Elin Nordegren, with whom he has two young children.