Tiger's caddie says he will stand by his golfer

Tiger Woods' caddie says he will support his boss, whose life has been subject to rumor and scrutiny since a late night car crash near his Florida home. Steve Williams refused to discuss Woods' private life but said in Saturday's New Zealand Herald that Woods had confided in him. Williams says "that's what friends are for" and "you support them through good and bad. It's like marriage, really." The New Zealander returned home this week after Woods withdrew from the Chevron World Challenge in California, the invitation tournament he annually hosts. Williams, who has caddied for Woods for 10 years, says he expects to carry the player's bag in February at the Buick International tournament in Torrey Pines, San Diego. The comments come at the end of a most tumultuous week for Woods, who crashed his car outside his Florida home last Friday and has since seen his personal life turned upside down. Reports throughout the week of marital infidelity have set off a wave of rumor and speculation. Woods issued a statement Wednesday, admitting "transgressions" against his family that he regrets "with all of my heart." His statement followed a cover story in Us Weekly magazine that reported a Los Angeles cocktail waitress claims she had a 31-month affair with the world's No. 1 golfer. "I have not been true to my values and the behavior my family deserves," Woods said on his Web site. "I am not without faults and I am far short of perfect. I am dealing with my behavior and personal failings behind closed doors with my family. Those feelings should be shared by us alone." The cocktail waitress, Jaimee Grubbs, told the magazine she met Woods at a Las Vegas nightclub the week after the 2007 Masters — two months before Woods' wife, Elin, gave birth to their first child. Grubbs claims to have proof in 300 text messages. About three hours before Woods' statement, Us Weekly published what it said was a voicemail — provided by Grubbs — that Woods left her phone on Nov. 24, three days before his middle-of-the-night car crash outside his home in Florida. Another woman rumored to have been in an affair with Woods, Rachel Uchitel, scheduled a press conference for Thursday to addess the situation but abruptly canceled it, sparking off more speculation about the reasoning behind the sudden change of mind. Last week, the National Enquirer published a story alleging that Woods had been seeing Uchitel, a New York nightclub hostess, and that they recently were together in Melbourne, where Woods competed in the Australian Masters. Uchitel has previously denied having an affair with Woods. Woods did not offer details of any alleged relationship in his statement. "I will strive to be a better person and the husband and father that my family deserves," Woods said. "For all of those who have supported me over the years, I offer my profound apology." Woods' marriage has come under scrutiny since the allegations have come to light. Several reports late this week said Woods and his wife were re-working their prenuptial agreement in her favor.