SYDNEY — Tiger Woods said he received an apology from former caddie Steve Williams over a racial slur when the two met and shook hands today.
“We talked this morning, we met face to face and talked about it, talked it through,” Woods said, ahead of the Australian Open at The Lakes Golf Club.
Williams’ disparaging comment came during a caddies’ awards party Friday in Shanghai.
“It was a wrong thing to say, something that we both acknowledge,” Woods said. “He did apologize. It was hurtful, certainly, but life goes forward.”
Woods said it was not up to him to call for sanctions against Williams. The PGA Tour and European Tour have said no action would be taken against Williams for the comment.
“Stevie’s certainly not a racist,” Woods said. “There’s no doubt about that. It was a comment that shouldn’t have been made and was certainly one that he wished he didn’t make.”
NASCAR fines Kyle Busch, puts him on probation
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — NASCAR fined Kyle Busch $50,000 and placed him on probation through the end of the year for wrecking Ron Hornaday under caution at Texas.
NASCAR also warned Busch that he will be suspended indefinitely if he is involved in any other action “detrimental to stock car racing or to NASCAR, or is disruptive to the orderly conduct of an event.”
Busch was scheduled to run only in the Sprint Cup Series race this weekend at Phoenix. It’s not clear how many events he had planned to enter in next week’s season finales at Homestead.
Busch and Hornaday were racing each other early in Friday night’s Truck Series race at Texas when Busch deliberately wrecked Hornaday, a championship contender, under caution.
“I lost my cool, no doubt about it,” Busch said after the wreck.
• A grand jury in North Carolina indicted former NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield on charges of possessing methamphetamine.
The indictment comes about a week after Mayfield was arrested following a raid at his rural mansion that turned up 69 guns and what authorities allege were $100,000 in stolen goods from at least two businesses.
During the search, deputies also said they found goods stolen from at least two businesses and about 1.5 grams of meth.
Mayfield was later released on a $30,000 bond. The troubled driver was booted from NASCAR in 2009 after failing a drug test.
Mississippi’s Nutt to resign
OXFORD, Miss. — After more than a year without a Southeastern Conference victory, Mississippi coach Houston Nutt will resign.
The fourth-year Rebels coach will lead the team for the rest of the season, athletic director Pete Boone said. Boone also announced that he will step down as athletic director by the end of 2012.
• Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said quarterback Dan Persa (shoulder) plans to play against Rice this week. Persa was on the sideline with his arm in a sling after halftime as former Cherry Creek High School star Kain Colter led the Wildcats to a victory over Nebraska.
• Texas A&M running back Christine Michael will miss the rest of the season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in one of his knees.
• BYU football coach Bronco Mendenhall said the Big East has approached the school about joining the league.
Uncle Mo retired
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Uncle Mo‘s racing career is over.
Two days after finishing 10th in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs, the 3-year-old colt was retired and arrived at Ashford Stud in Versailles, Ky.
Mike Repole, who owns the 3-year-old colt, said blood tests Sunday revealed an elevated enzyme level. It’s the same enzyme that was elevated in the spring, knocked Uncle Mo out of the Triple Crown races and led to the diagnosis of a life-threatening liver disease.
Doug Byars, one of three veterinarians who diagnosed Uncle Mo earlier this year, told Repole that the elevated enzyme is not hereditary. Uncle Mo won five of eight races and earned $1.6 million.
The Associated Press
