Tiger Woods Master Catch-All Discussion

[Crim]

I believe DJ has done it too and been caught and sanctioned, quietly.

Dustin Johnson? Based off of what?

[boogielicious]

So I guess Phil is doping too because he takes Enbrel.

[tmac20]

On a related note, I wonder if Tiger is using PRP therapy again. I doubt he is.

[iacas]

On a related note, I wonder if Tiger is using PRP therapy again. I doubt he is.

Would it even make sense to use it for microdiskectomies?

[Gunther]

Depends on how you define juiced.  Sudafed is prohibited in the Olympics.  Many common over-the-counter drugs are as well.  In cycling, you have to ask permission for an aspirin.  Caffeine is prohibited above certain levels.  So each sport has a different requirement.  Not sure how juicing would help you in golf either.  It is just a common point the anti-Tiger crowd has and it is so tiring to hear.

I hear you and I'm not a Tiger hater (said although most Tiger-haters preface their anti-Tiger rants this way). I agree that it doesn't help with golf specifically but it allows you to recover faster from workouts; hence, work out more frequently gaining strength more rapidly than might otherwise have been possible. I think for a time Tiger was obsessed with this, thinking it helped his game. Who knows? My chief point is that it is widely believed and definitely not only by Tiger haters.

[Gunther]

Dustin Johnson? Based off of what?

OK, this is truly just a suspicion of mine and not widely believed or shared. In fact, I'm the only person I know who has mentioned it, although I haven't been laughed at when I've mentioned it to my golfing buds. Probably due to how jaded many of us have become. Anyway, DJ has had a few suspicious absences from the tour over the past 2, maybe 3 years. I have a belief that one of those was a suspension. Given his physical condition and strength, I've made the leap to PEDs in my mind.

[tmac20]

Would it even make sense to use it for microdiskectomies?

According to Wikipedia, it can be used to accelerate the healing of nerve injuries. I'm not sure if it would do anything to help with healing after a microdiscectomy though. Platelets are used to repair blood vessels and stop bleeding, so I guess it could maybe be used to accelerate the healing of the scar tissue? No idea; I would be interested to know if there are any experts on here that could verify.

[Valleygolfer]

OK, this is truly just a suspicion of mine and not widely believed or shared. In fact, I'm the only person I know who has mentioned it, although I haven't been laughed at when I've mentioned it to my golfing buds. Probably due to how jaded many of us have become.

Anyway, DJ has had a few suspicious absences from the tour over the past 2, maybe 3 years. I have a belief that one of those was a suspension. Given his physical condition and strength, I've made the leap to PEDs in my mind.

Lol. I think he was abducted by aliens...

[iacas]

Anyway, DJ has had a few suspicious absences from the tour over the past 2, maybe 3 years. I have a belief that one of those was a suspension. Given his physical condition and strength, I've made the leap to PEDs in my mind.

The suspicion (widely held, you're not the only one) is that he was banned for marijuana use, not PEDs.

[Golfingdad]

Anyway, DJ has had a few suspicious absences from the tour over the past 2, maybe 3 years.

The suspicion (widely held, you're not the only one) is that he was banned for marijuana use, not PEDs.

These two statements remind me of Bill Simmons' strongly held belief (always said in humor, but in that way where you think that he kind of believes its possible, even though he's just making a joke) that Michael Jordans baseball career was really a super secret suspension from the NBA for gambling.

[Gunther]

The suspicion (widely held, you're not the only one) is that he was banned for marijuana use, not PEDs.

Definitely plausible - had not heard it but it appeared to me that after 1 or 2 of those absences, there wasn't much discussion about an injury. I leapt in the wrong direction perhaps.

[Gunther]

These two statements remind me of Bill Simmons' strongly held belief (always said in humor, but in that way where you think that he kind of believes its possible, even though he's just making a joke) that Michael Jordans baseball career was really a super secret suspension from the NBA for gambling. :-P

This could be but the NBA publicizes fines and suspensions where the PGA tour does not. Perhaps in deference to Jordan they kept that one on the down low.

[Spitfisher]

I hear you and I'm not a Tiger hater (said although most Tiger-haters preface their anti-Tiger rants this way). I agree that it doesn't help with golf specifically but it allows you to recover faster from workouts; hence, work out more frequently gaining strength more rapidly than might otherwise have been possible. I think for a time Tiger was obsessed with this, thinking it helped his game. Who knows? My chief point is that it is widely believed and definitely not only by Tiger haters.

I share the same view as above. Some ( not all)  of my most respected, highly educated,  friends, golfers, PGA pros and professional acquaintances have gone from a "no way, not a chance, not likely" to a "you know I really wouldn't be surprised, I think its likely, it would certainly explain things a better, I hope not " position. They are not haters, they are fans of the game and educated  fans of sports in general.

I heard the same about Jordan and his excessive gambling.   NBA damage control was suspected,  could he have bet on NBA games, like Pete Rose did with baseball?

It was rumored and spoken on the web about recreational weed use with DJ especially in the off season. The PGA suspended him after numerous instances is what some have suspected.

[3putter]

He has an extensive post on his site about his recovery and what he's/not able to do so far. I found it to be a very interesting read.

http://www.tigerwoods.com/news/2014/05/05/73724944/tigers-blog-rehab-going-well-but-is-a-slow-process/

Quote:

By Tiger Woods

It's Monday of THE PLAYERS, and I'd rather be driving north on I-95 to Ponte Vedra, but unfortunately, I won't be playing this week. It's tough to miss any tournament, but especially one that's so important to the players and where I'm defending.

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My recovery from microdiscectomy surgery for a pinched nerve in my back is coming along, but it's a very slow process. I'm still sore. Not from the procedure itself but the incision. I just need to get back to my day-to-day activities, and that's it.

One reassuring thing from my medical exam is I have zero arthritic changes whatsoever. I've kept myself in very good shape over the years, and it has paid off. We knew going into this procedure that it really helps to be strong, especially in my glutes and my abs. I was strong in both departments, and that helps with the recovery and rehab, and you're able to come back faster.

I made the decision to have surgery because physically I just couldn't make a golf swing. That pretty much sums it up.

Missing my first Masters was tough. I actually watched quite a bit of it because Freddie [Couples] was in contention. As soon as his name went up on the leaderboard, I started watching what he was doing. Once he got off to that bad start Sunday, it wasn't as much fun.

I was happy for Bubba Watson and want to congratulate him on winning his second green jacket. The golf course sets up great for a long fader who is left-handed. It sets up perfectly because it's so much easier to cut the ball than it is to turn it over on No. 10. On No. 13, it is much easier to cut it and carry it; if you try to carry it with a draw, it's not going to stay in the air as much as it would with a cut. Same thing with No. 14. I think that's one of the reasons Phil [Mickelson] and Bubba have done so well there is because they both fade the ball really well for lefties.

As far as losing the Eisenhower tree on No. 17, I only saw the hole a few times during the tournament, and it did look more wide open. But your landing area is still the same. At least it is for guys with my length. I've hit the Eisenhower tree before, but I've hit bad tee shots to hit it. Guys who hit the ball as long as I do didn't really worry about the tree. The shorter guys have to play it up the right side because they can't carry it.

Not being able to play in the Masters for the first time wasn't as hard for me as you might think. I've missed major championships before, so this was not a new experience. It helps when I'm physically unable to play the game. That's when it's easy for me, and I don't have a problem watching. It's when I'm playing and closer to getting back out there is when I start getting real antsy about watching events: 'Can I play, can I not play?' But when I'm physically unable to play like in 2008 after my knee surgery, it makes things so much easier.

As for my return to golf, I really don't know. I'm doing everything I can and listening to my doctors and working on a strength program, and then we just have to see how my back is. Some people heal up in three months, some people take four months, some people take longer. I just don't know.

I haven't used a sand wedge yet. I've just done putting and chip-and-runs using the same length of motion. I haven't really rotated yet. As far as taking a full swing, I have conference calls with my doctors every couple of weeks to see how my progress is and just kind of chart it out from there. Basically, you just follow a program. It's tedious because it's little rehab stuff, but you still have to do it. That's where I think the experiences of having gone through the surgeries in the past have really helped because you have to lay the foundation down first before you can do the more arduous activities and then return to form. I'm walking and able to cycle now and started swimming last week.

It does help to rehab with Lindsey [Vonn], but her programs are much further along than mine. That does help when you're not the only one suffering. It's a good and bad thing that we're both rehabbing at the same time. Her sessions are much longer and more developed. Her knee is getting stronger and it's good to see. She hopes to be ready to compete again in December.

I've been with my kids a ton. It's been great going to their soccer and T-ball games, practices and just being with them. We went to the Bahamas for spring break, which was fantastic. I'm just trying to stay active, but nothing where I'm pushing it. I'm doing a little coaching, but unfortunately, I can't play soccer with Sam right now. Prior to the surgery, I was able to play and do some training stuff with her, but I can't do it because I can't cut.

I've worked with Charlie on hitting and fielding drills and showing him slowly what to do; I can't do it quickly. We watch a lot of sports on TV, and we try and copy that. We have a lot of putting contests. I can't bend down to pick up the ball out of the hole, so we sand-filled all the holes so you can still putt to a hole. He's getting pretty good and is starting to understand speed and break. That's not something that is easy to pick up. I have my greens running about 13 on the Stimpmeter every day, so your feel has to be a little better. When we were in the Bahamas, the greens were much slower and he almost beat me. If Sam and Charlie beat me, they're going to earn it. That's how Pop was with me, and I think that's how it should be.

It's been great to read a lot of the fan mail at the office and all the tweets and nice comments people have made to support me. It's been amazing, just around here, how many people have had this procedure done and come up to me and said, 'Oh my God, it's changed my life. I haven't been able to do anything for so many years and all of a sudden I've been able to live life again.' I know exactly what they mean. I got to a point where I couldn't do anything. That part has been eye-opening.

Tony Romo had the exact same procedure as I did. I talked to him a lot about it because he was in a lot of pain after a game against the Washington Redskins. He just couldn't function anymore.

Once I begin swinging a club again, I'm not sure if I will have to make any changes to protect my back; that's up to Sean Foley and me on what we do. As far as limitations, it's a building process, just like when I came back from my knee and Achilles injuries. You start from the green and work your way back: putting, chipping, pitching, wedging, mid-irons, long irons, woods and eventually playing. That's all a process and takes time. We have to make sure my back heals fine and I have the strength and mobility going forward.

As I've said several times, I hope to be back sometime this summer, but I just don't know when. There are a lot of big tournaments coming up, and one that's personally important to me is the Quicken Loans National. I really appreciate Quicken Loans becoming the title sponsor of my event. It means a lot to me and my foundation. Whether I'm able to play or not, I'm going to be there to support it. After Quicken, there's Greenbrier and The Open Championship, and of the course the U.S. Open is about six weeks away. You can understand why I want to hurry up and get better. I'd also like to play in the FedExCup Playoffs and the Ryder Cup. But obviously, I'm going to have to play really well to earn points to get into the playoffs and play my way onto to the team or have to rely on a captain's pick.

Tiger Jam 16 is coming up, May 16-17 at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. We have a great band, GRAMMY-nominated OneRepublic. They have a lot of hits and are very hot right now. It's a fun event for everyone: all of our sponsors, donors and the people who support us. Poker Night is sold out, so that is fantastic. Once the concert kicks off and starts going, it's nice to see my staff finally relax. They work hard to make it happen, but once it starts, it's nice to see them have fun and enjoy it. Proceeds from the Jam support my foundation's college-access programs.

My golf course design project in Cabo, El Cardonal at Diamante Cabo San Lucas, continues to progress well. The front nine has been grassed, as well as a few holes on the back nine. I'm looking forward to finalizing the shaping on the last few holes when I get back onsite next month. I'm thrilled with how it's turning out, and I'll share some photos with you from my next visit. I'm also excited about my newest design project near Houston, Bluejack National. My team and I have been working on this for quite some time, and I'm really looking forward to construction starting this summer.

Thanks again for all the get-well wishes, and that's all for now. Take care.

[Spitfisher]

" I was happy for Bubba Watson and want to congratulate him on winning his second green jacket. The golf course sets up great for a long fader who is left-handed. It sets up perfectly because it's so much easier to cut the ball than it is to turn it over on No. 10. On No. 13, it is much easier to cut it and carry it; if you try to carry it with a draw, it's not going to stay in the air as much as it would with a cut. Same thing with No. 14. I think that's one of the reasons Phil [Mickelson] and Bubba have done so well there is because they both fade the ball really well for lefties. Interesting commentary from MR. Woods. Regarding hitting a fade, being long and left handed. One could surmise that now that he has "new" swing which seems to be a controllable fade en executed, his odds become tougher for Augusta?

[Golfingdad]

He has an extensive post on his site about his recovery and what he's/not able to do so far. I found it to be a very interesting read.

http://www.tigerwoods.com/news/2014/05/05/73724944/tigers-blog-rehab-going-well-but-is-a-slow-process/

Interesting.  One comment though ... that is a horrible signature for a celebrity!!

[3putter]

Interesting.  One comment though ... that is a horrible signature for a celebrity!!

Haha, I was surprised to see that John Hancock....was expecting something that might come across as more familiar.

[tmac20]

"Missing my first Masters was tough."

"Not being able to play in the Masters for the first time wasn't as hard for me as you might think."