Q: What happens to Tiger Woods’ caddie, Steve Williams, while the world’s top player is out for the remainder of 2008?
— Reader from Huntsville, Ala.

A: He gets a well-deserved rest and won’t have to tire himself out with a multitude of cross-world flights to his beloved New Zealand. With a wife and child, he’ll cherish a good stretch of quality family time, and his thirst for auto racing should definitely be quenched. He has been at this for 30 years, so trust me, he’ll appreciate the break and there's no chance he'll forget how to do his job.

Q: What do you have to say for yourself after predicting Tiger Woods would not win the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines?
— James Foster, St. Louis

A: Hey, where were you in 1913 when I predicted Francis Ouimet — an amateur, no less — would win the U.S. Open, or in 1955 when I picked Jack Fleck in that 18-hole playoff with Ben Hogan?

Q: What is your best memory of your father that has helped you in your golf game and has had an effect in your life as well?
— Tobin Shackelford, Medford, Ore.

A: Baseball is the sport with which my father and I shared a love affair, though it was my first set of clubs, bought for my 16th birthday, that ignited a passion in golf. I would suggest, however, that his way of fostering my love of baseball has translated well into golf. Just as my father introduced me to the great books that would make me appreciate the history of baseball and the legends who played it, I learned to love golf through great writing. Just as my father insisted on games of catch after dinner, I have re-discovered the joy of golf by playing golf with my sons.

Q: I thought it was great that the USGA put the world’s top three players in the same group on Thursday and Friday of the U.S. Open. Do you think they should do this every year?
— Dave Undis, Nashville, Tenn.

A: Officials at this year’s championship indicated it was a "one-off" situation, so I’m thinking it won’t be seen in 2009. With Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson having such close ties with Torrey Pines, it made sense for 2008, but for crowd control purposes and TV concerns, I’m not sure it would work every year. Besides, if the world rankings at this point next year were to read Woods, Paul Casey, and Brandt Snedeker, you’d be hard-pressed to convince me that pairing would resonate.

Q: We haven’t heard much about Michelle Wie lately. Does she have a shot in the Women’s U.S. Open?
— Allison, Germantown, Maryland

A: Allison, tune in to this week's U.S. Open at Interlachen C.C. in Edina, Minn., because the golden girl will be front and center. After a forgettable 2007 season, at the tender age of 18 Wie appears to be rejuvenated. She has made two cuts on the LPGA Tour, played well in a European tournament in Germany, and silenced some critics by breezing through a Open qualifier. Is she the rage she was in 2005 and 2006? Perhaps not, but given the amount of natural talent and the size and looks with which she has been blessed, there's good reason to expect her to maintain a stage presence.

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