AUGUSTA, GA. – At the Masters on Friday, Tiger Woods was spared the exposure of more airplane banners chiding him for his recent behavior.

The FAA grounded the light airplane that had dragged banners across the sky above Augusta National.

On Thursday, those banners highlighted Woods’ sexual escapades with slogans like:

“Sex Addict? Yeah. Sure. Me Too.”

“Tiger, Did You Mean Bootyism?”

Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that a minor mechanical problem kept the airplane grounded on Friday.

During his radio program on Friday, Dan Patrick said he had been told that a banner was to go out on Friday that ridiculed Stevie Williams, Tiger’s caddy. Williams had denied knowing a thing about his boss’ exploits in an interview with 60 Minutes.

According to Patrick, the banner would have mocked that assertion.

By the way, golf was played and the feel-good stories of Fred Couples and Tom Watson got pushed aside on Friday. Both men shot over par to slip down the leader board, making way for others who surged ahead.

The golf course was tougher on Friday with faster greens, difficult pin placements and wind gusts that disrupted everything from tee to green.

Filling out the top 9 places after 36 holes are:

Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter are tied for first at -8. Tiger Woods, K.J. Choi, Phil Mickelson, Anthony Kim and Ricky Barnes are tied for third at -6. Y.E. Yang ended the day at -5. Tom Watson, Fred Couples, and Soren Kjeldsen are tied for 9th at -2.

Because of the difficult conditions on Friday there were only a few golfers who made any sort of big move. Poulter carded a 68 after going -4, Lee Westwood shot a 69, 3 under par while Woods, Kim and Barnes came in at -2 for a 70 on the day.

The cut is projected to be +3 leaving many big time players out of the weekend play. Some of those projected to miss the cut at +4 and above are Padraig Harrington (+5), Stewart Cink (+8), Vijay Singh at +10 and Jim Furyk at a whopping (+12).

Re-printed with permission of the author.

Paula Duffy is a national sports columnist for Examiner.com and the Huffington Post and regularly comments on sports/legal matters for radio affiliates of ESPN and Fox Sports. She founded the sports information site, Incidental Contact, is the author of a line of audio books designed for sports novices and in her spare time practices law in Los Angeles. 

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax™

Steve Williams has had the dream job of a lifetime, dragging around golf clubs for Tiger Woods, the most famous golfer of all time.

After an interview on 60 Minutes last night where he said he “would have blown the whistle” on Woods if he knew of the affairs, it’s hard not to wonder if the caddie will remain at Woods’ side if and when he ever returns to the game.

A friend admitting he would have “blown the whistle” certainly doesn’t sound like a man you want by your side at a time the Paparazzi is in overdrive to stalk down your every move.

Williams also said he is still a close friend of Woods and will stand by him.

Here is some of the dialogue Williams had with the television production crew for the show.

“In some people’s perception, I’m involved in it and I’ve committed a crime or I’ve done wrong,” Williams said. “I’ve said it before. I knew nothing, and that’s my answer.”

“If the shoe was on somebody else’s [foot], I would say the same thing: that it would be very difficult for the caddie not to know but I’m a hundred per cent telling you I knew nothing and that’s that. “I’m a straight-up sort of person. If I’d have known something was going on, the whistle would have been blown. He knows that, that’s just the way I operate.”

“Of course I’m mad at him. Why would you not be? I’m more disappointed that he’s let his family down and let himself down.” Williams, who says he is close to Tiger Woods’ wife Erin Nordegren, went on to say he still has not talked to Woods about the infidelities.

“It’s not up to me to beat him with a stick right now. He’s getting enough grilling from everybody else; the media have had a feeding frenzy. I’m a friend right now. There’s a time and place for everything. Obviously at some point in time, I’ll have a conversation with him. I’d like to see him back playing on the PGA tour. That’s my role right now.”

“I stand by Tiger as a friend. When I talk to him, I don’t talk to him about what’s happened, I talk to him about the future and what we’re going to try and accomplish and how we’re going to get over it.”

Williams’ wife, Kirsty, said it has been difficult seeing her husband dealing with the public’s speculation and accusations that he knew about the affairs over the years.

“He [Williams] is just seen as a bad guy. People are calling for him to be fired. It’s not fair.”

Tiger Woods Apology Felt More Like a Funeral – Video

© 2010 Sports Climax^TM