Wellington, Dec. 14 : American golfer Tiger Woods'' Kiwi caddie Steve Williams has reportedly called his (Woods') fierce rival Phil Mickelson a "prick".

According to stuff. co. nz, Williams says it''s "no secret" the two leading golfers in the world "don''t get along".

Williams'' told the Star-Times in an interview yesterday that the relationship between Woods'' and Mickelson was a festering one, and has been exacerbated with the latter offering a withering assessment of Woods'' while he recovers from knee surgery.

Williams was quoted as saying: "I wouldn''t call Mickelson a great player ''cause I hate the prick."

When approached by the Star-Times yesterday, Williams confirmed the quote was accurate, although he had not intended that it find its way into the public domain.

"I was simply honest and said they don''t get a long. You know what it''s like. You''re at a charity event and you have a bit of fun," he added.

Williams is known to be an infamously brusque individual who once threw a spectator''s camera into a pond. But, even by his standards, this was an astonishing thing to say. (ANI)