A new spin on Tiger....

[InTheFairway]

There is no evidence of him taking peds. Just because the doctor was implicated in peds doesn't mean he was giving peds to all of his patients. Tiger has been an advocator of drug tests on the pga. Tiger's driving distance has certainly fallen from being in the top 3 when he came on the tour, and only a recent change to harder ball, has brought him among the leaders in driving distance. You can't rationalize that he is using or ever used Peds since it has never been proven.

[billysandy]

Is it possible that Tiger's poor play is an effort to run the ship into the ground, lose sponsors and decrease his net worth so that he doesn't give up more dough to his soon to be ex-wife? Showing how is image is hurt and he is not worth as much?

Wow this is a very far-fetched view on the subject! At the end of the day, he still wants money. I don't know the guy, but the chances are that trying to lose money to spite Elin are slim. How ever hard he tries, he still wouldn't be able to reduce his net worth enough for Elin to feel like she has been hard done by!

[Valleygolfer]

My opinion is that you have too much time on your hands and it terrifies me to think that someone with such bizarre ideas may be in a position of authority.

This is not a made up story. If you would have paid attention to the opening paragraph, this is compared to an experience I had with another affluent aquaintence who was cheating on his wife as well. If you are too naive to believe stuff like this happens, I can not help you.

[mcfc_nick]

My idea? A psychiatrist has prescribed him drugs that have him numbed. He looked mentally and physically numb last week.

ha, i read this as 'a psychiatrist has prescribed him drugs that have his days numbered'

[Elsfan]

The Tiger fanboys still riding Tiger's jock after all the questionable moves he has made. Anyone who believes that there is no chance he used PED's needs to get over their crush. He's not a great guy. You may have rooted for him since he came onto the tour but he isn't who you believed you were rooting for. Oh well, it is obvious you guys have hitched you souls to his wagon and no matter what comes out in the future you are ready to crash and burn with him. The blind loyalty for this guy is like nothing I have ever seen in pro sports. Continue also to talk about his playing being average on tour when he has broke par on the tour in 2 of his last 20 rounds.

[newtogolf]

I can agree with that. It depends on what i taken for how long, etc. But then if you are going to call him a user based on looks, it would be erroneous. So either way my statement is true unless he is tested or says he used them.

I wasn't taking a position on Tigers PED use. I was just pointing out that physique isn't always an indicator of someone that uses PED's. I have no idea if Tiger used PED's, but I wouldn't be surprised if he did. Tiger, like most athletes, is always looking for an edge, whether it be to gain some additional strength or recover faster from an injury. I believe PED use in professional sports was and is much more common that we've been led to believe.

[Elsfan]

I wasn't taking a position on Tigers PED use. I was just pointing out that physique isn't always an indicator of someone that uses PED's. I have no idea if Tiger used PED's, but I wouldn't be surprised if he did. Tiger, like most athletes, is always looking for an edge, whether it be to gain some additional strength or recover faster from an injury. I believe PED use in professional sports was and is much more common that we've been led to believe.

Its pretty simple really. Whenever millions are at stake, perhaps billions at least in Tigers case, athletes are always trying to gain an edge. Lots of people on this forum seem to really live in a fairy tale land when it comes to the harsh realities of what these guys are willing to do. I know people who wouldn't smoke a cigarette but tried HGH. Honestly, I have seen amazing results from witnessing what that drug will do to somebody. HGH has known health benefits and if used properly, can do wonderful things.

With that being said I have no idea if Tiger has used. However I would not be surprised and if I had to gamble on whether he did or did not use I would say he did, but as most of you said he was a better player than anyone else before he got "ripped" during his beginning years. It sure does work wonders on injuries though.

[iacas]

The Tiger fanboys still riding Tiger's jock after all the questionable moves he has made. Anyone who believes that there is no chance he used PED's needs to get over their crush.

Whatever the opposite of "Tiger fanboy" is, you're it.

And that's worse in this case because you have NO proof or evidence that he's been on PEDs. In fact, the "Tiger fanboys" have one over on you because at least the facts - that Tiger's never been positive for PEDs despite having been tested several times - are on their side. The Tiger fanboys can be sad examples (I haven't seen one in awhile), but the Tiger haters are even more pathetic.

[Valleygolfer]

Whatever the opposite of "Tiger fanboy" is, you're it.

+1 Tiger haters must have some personal vendetta because they are so passionate with distain and grasp straws in effort to condemn him.

[Elsfan]

Whatever the opposite of "Tiger fanboy" is, you're it.

I am far from a Tiger hater. I have seen what he is willing to do to his family. I would not put anything past him at this point.

Whats wrong with speculation? The guy was working with a doctor from Canada known to supply various other athletes with HGH. At what point is it reasonable to to discuss a topic. I clearly claimed I had no idea if he did or didn't use PED"s. Where is the evidence against Lance Armstrong? People still claim he was the biggest doper of all time. Questioning Tiger's association to Mr. Galea is totally legitmate.

[newtogolf]

One doesn't have to like or hate Tiger to have an opinion on him. I don't respect Tiger as a husband and father, but I do respect him as a golfer. All that said, it has no bearing on speculation of his recent poor play or use of PED's. When someone turns themself into a celebrity, and makes millions of dollars doing so they can't complain when public opinion of them isn't always positive.

[Valleygolfer]

I am far from a Tiger hater. I have seen what he is willing to do to his family. I would not put anything past him at this point.

Speculation about current activities is fine but you spin the same tired BS that

golfers are tired of hearing. If you want to rehash and be a constant hater about his past go do it at TMZ or the golf channel's website. We all know what has been done and said, we do not care about that. We care about golf and we like good golf. I don't know him personally, and although disappointed with previous transgressions, I am over it and he has to live with what he did. This person is the the closest to the "Hawk" that we have. As golfers they act somewhat similar, as golfers . As an Els fan, I assume you are still frustrated as he was, when Tiger has taken away his possible victories in the past. This affair I would say in some ways is Tiger's proverbial bus accident.

[jamo]

Where is the evidence against Lance Armstrong? People still claim he was the biggest doper of all time.

Because people who were inside Armstrong's inner circle have claimed he used steroids and a member of his team this year tested positive. No one close to Tiger Woods ever has accused him of doping and he has never failed a drug test.

[golfro]

Not to mention the doctor Tiger went to (Tony Galea) is actually a pretty well known doctor amongst many many athletes...and not just those that use steroids. So one can conclude that through referral, Tiger went to a doctor that many athletes go to.

Thats basically the only connection Tiger has to HGH...pull out Galea's client list because they must ALL be using HGH then.

[Ole_Tom_Morris]

I don't think you can play golf well, especially not superlatively well, when you're zonked out on drugs. I mean, look at Phil. Physical problems, meds, not playing well. Look at John Daly.

Golf is different from football or running track or riding a bicycle as fast as anyone on earth for 140 miles a day for days on end. Totally different in golf, where the slow pace and need to hit a teenie ball within a couple of degrees of a target 250 yards off under varying conditions of wind, humidity, air pressure, elevation, and grass type, height, and direction of growth are far different from simple tests of endurance or speed or explosive strength.

So, no, I don't think El Tigre is doped-up or in withdrawal. He may well be on tranks though, or other mood affecting Rx.

Yeah, Tiger has beat up his body some, but I think all this is purely mental. I speculate--

That Tiger is regressing to an early stage when instead of taking command of his play, he was looking to an authority figure like his dad or his coach to make decisions for him. He is pleading for someone to tell him what to do. But his dad is dead and he has no coach who would dare to be in charge of his play or his life.

That Tiger is subconsciously torpedoing his game, in order to say to his family, "Look how much you mean to me! You are causing me to do this to myself." A sort of professional suicide in order to impress others.

Tiger needs ... Tiger needs ... Dr Phil !

[golfro]

I don't think you can play golf well, especially not superlatively well, when you're zonked out on drugs. I mean, look at Phil. Physical problems, meds, not playing well. Look at John Daly.

that was an interestnig read...

we have all suddenly become experts in psychology through television.

[Chas]

Because people who were inside Armstrong's inner circle have claimed he used steroids and a member of his team this year tested positive. No one close to Tiger Woods ever has accused him of doping and he has never failed a drug test.

And just how many golfers are there in Tiger's "inner circle" who would be in a position to know such a thing? Please name them. The two situations are of course not in the least comparable. Professional cyclists ride as a team and have a team manager, physician, etc etc - a whole retinue of people they work closely with on a professional basis. Professional golfers OTOH lead a rather solitary life on the whole, and particularly so Tiger Woods - for reasons that we now much better understand. Those who might know, such as certain pro basketball players, are not very likely to reveal anything about their buddie are they now.

Even though 'absence of evidence is not evidence of absence', the whole Tiger/HGH discussion is too speculative for my taste, much as I am disgusted by what we've learned about his personal life. There's nothing to go on but an association with a doctor who a sportsman would use better judgment by staying away from. Not something we have come to expect from TW, it's true. What we already know about Tiger's personal life and misrepresentation of self in business dealings - that made him much of his fortune - is quite enough for me. TW as a golfer, that's another matter entirely.

[Ole_Tom_Morris]

that was an interestnig read...

Not precisely. First, a lot of counselors or psychiatrists are non-directive or wishy-washy or inerested only in keeping the meter running. Especially in the presence of a celeb like Tiger. (Look how all these docs-to-celebs over-medicate, just because they are asked to, by a celeb.) Dr. Phil (at least on TV) is a powerful dominating no-nonsense type, the type of psychotherapist that Tiger needs. However, Tiger does not need to be publicly psychologized, and that is something Dr. Phil has a bad rep about doing. I think Dr. Phil ought to have lost his license for some of the things he has pulled, but that's another story.

The poster who started this thread postulated that Tiger was intentionally committing professional suicide in order to lower the alimony he might be hit with. There is no question he is playing worse than at any other time in his professional career. Why? I am speculating that he is doing it to himself unintentionally , to make amends by public self-destruction, to garner sympathy, to demonstrate to Elin and kids and mother that he is deeply affected by the situation. Some of the things Tiger is doing in practice for his game seem to be just fumbling around. No method, just "Let's try this and see if it gets the magic back." He's like a rat in a trap; random behavior, in the hope of hitting on something that works. Reminds me of me when I was a kid. You know how when there is a knowledgeable adult looking on, a kid who fumbles at a skill or task gets the adult to step in and "teach" the skill or perform the task? That's not good for a kid. The kid needs to learn to do it himself, on his own without interference. In my case, I only recently realized that when I try something new in the presence of someone else more skilled, I tend subconsciously to do the job ineptly so that the other person will step in and do it. That is what I learned to do. Not a good thing. So when I try out a new skill, like something in golf, for example, I will get away from everybody else and try to figure it out on my own. The presence of another person throws me off. What does that have to do with Tiger? That Tiger looks like he is that kid, fumbling around and pleading for help and sympathy from an adult.