The Tiger Woods/PED Thread

[iacas]

2 minutes ago, Buckeyebowman said:

But I, like many others, began to wonder when Tiger got so big. Remember when he first came on tour? A skinny string bean with big, thick glasses. When he showed up at Stanford it was his teammate, Notah Begay, who tagged him with the nickname "Urkel"! Even though Woods and Begay became friends, I don't think Tiger liked "Urkel" very much. And it's been reported that Tiger didn't like the idea of golfers not being considered "real" athletes either.

Tiger never got "so big." Have you seen the dude in person? He was not an imposing figure. This is a myth. I get that he can look pretty stacked on TV, but he's not: his shirts were tight, and he was fit, but he wasn't "so big."

Like most men, he filled out from the time he was 20 until he was 26, 27…

[newtogolf]

7 hours ago, Buckeyebowman said:

Wrong again! I loved Tiger when he was out there dominating the game. He was great for golf, bringing new fans and attention to the sport. I attended the WGC Bridgestone in Akron when Tiger was in his ascendancy. I tried to follow him, but it was impossible! He had to be dragging 10,000 people around the course!

But I, like many others, began to wonder when Tiger got so big. Remember when he first came on tour? A skinny string bean with big, thick glasses. When he showed up at Stanford it was his teammate, Notah Begay, who tagged him with the nickname "Urkel"! Even though Woods and Begay became friends, I don't think Tiger liked "Urkel" very much. And it's been reported that Tiger didn't like the idea of golfers not being considered "real" athletes either.

So, if Tiger was juicing he never got caught. Neither did Bonds, Sosa or McGwire. There is no proof, but suspicions remain.

It's kind of sad to see Tiger in his current state, trying to claw his way back to the tour. No doubt he has enough money to last the rest of his and his kid's lives, but you don't get to where he was unless you are competitive. I think that might be what Tiger misses the most. I just remembered that he named his yacht "Privacy" because, at the time, that is what he craved. Well, he has plenty of it now.

Wonder how that's sitting with him?

As @iacas stated, Tiger was never "big".  Tiger is listed as 6' 1" 185 lbs, not exactly the stats of a steroid user.  He is a well conditioned athlete whose body is representative of someone that spends a fair amount of time in the gym.  

Take a look at Rory when he first got on the European Tour in 2007.   Both Rory and Tiger were in the spotlight when they were kids, their bodies weren't fully developed and they both have dedicated a signification portion of time to weight training and conditioning.  

Rory certainly isn't the skinny kid that started on Tour, do you think he's using PED's too?  

[ChrisP]

I think the main reason why people think he did them are the whole Gallea link, his bulking up and the injuries. And they're not just in one spot...they're all over (back, neck, knee twice, calf, etc.) It's like you can play the Operation game with Tiger Wodos. And people look at a lot of the guys that took PEDs (McGwire, ARod, Bonds) and they see how they're getting all these injuries and they instantly link Tiger to them.

I have my suspicions, but there's not enough evidence to point that he did it, IMO. If more stuff comes out down the road, then I'll re-evaluate my beliefs. But for now, until they come up with more stuff, he's innocent.

Edited May 31, 2016 by ChrisP

[colin007]

people who say Tigs is big are people who dont go the the gym. go to the gym and youll see huge dudes that make Tiger look tiny.

[Groucho Valentine]

12 hours ago, iacas said:

Tiger never got "so big." Have you seen the dude in person? He was not an imposing figure. This is a myth. I get that he can look pretty stacked on TV, but he's not: his shirts were tight, and he was fit, but he wasn't "so big."

Like most men, he filled out from the time he was 20 until he was 26, 27…

I agree with this. 

Ive seen tiger play a few times at the barclays and he doesn't look anywhere near as large in person as he may to some folks who have only seen him on TV or photos. He's listed at 6'1 but i don't think he is that tall. Im 6'0 185 and i feel like I'm the same size or even slightly bigger. 

I think constant PED rumors that circle Tiger are mostly put forth by a segment of the golfing sphere that unconditionally hate him (for whatever reasons they have) and use that type of talk as a method to discredit his career. Theres no evidence at all to point to Tiger using steroids. 

[Buckeyebowman]

15 hours ago, newtogolf said:

 

Rory certainly isn't the skinny kid that started on Tour, do you think he's using PED's too?  

From what I've heard, Tiger might!

10 hours ago, colin007 said:

people who say Tigs is big are people who dont go the the gym. go to the gym and youll see huge dudes that make Tiger look tiny.

Yes, but you won't see HUGE dudes who are golfers! You're talking about body builders or power lifters. Of course any pro athlete will tailor their workout to the sport they play.

And I'm not comparing Tiger to any other athlete, I'm only comparing him to himself! Believe me, at that age I had the whole package. Pecs, abs, lats, delts, biceps, triceps, and a set of legs with thighs so huge they belonged on a frog! At 5' 9" I could dunk a volleyball with ease, and the only reason I couldn't dunk a basketball was because my hands weren't large enough to palm it!

And, I did not work out! I simply played sports. But I had that "build" from the day I was born. To see someone morph from a stringbean to a mesomorph is something else.

[iacas]

Tiger was never very big. I feel like you've never seen him in person. Toned? Yes. Big? No.

[Lihu]

9 hours ago, Buckeyebowman said:

From what I've heard, Tiger might!

Yes, but you won't see HUGE dudes who are golfers! You're talking about body builders or power lifters. Of course any pro athlete will tailor their workout to the sport they play.

And I'm not comparing Tiger to any other athlete, I'm only comparing him to himself! Believe me, at that age I had the whole package. Pecs, abs, lats, delts, biceps, triceps, and a set of legs with thighs so huge they belonged on a frog! At 5' 9" I could dunk a volleyball with ease, and the only reason I couldn't dunk a basketball was because my hands weren't large enough to palm it!

And, I did not work out! I simply played sports. But I had that "build" from the day I was born. To see someone morph from a stringbean to a mesomorph is something else.

Some people are built stout some are not, but not everyone who goes from a thinner build to a thicker build is on PEDs. You don't need them to get in shape. Tiger and Rory look in good shape, but not exaggerated. Usually, people on PEDs are much bigger in key places where they work out harder than usual. Both of them look well balanced. If Tiger had 25" biceps with the same overall build then, sure, I'd agree, but he doesn't.

[saevel25]

9 hours ago, Buckeyebowman said:

And I'm not comparing Tiger to any other athlete, I'm only comparing him to himself! 

He didn't get ripped overnight. He gradually gained muscle from when he entered the PGA Tour till his time with Hank Haney.  That is a 7 year time frame, which is plenty of time to gain that amount of muscle mass with out the use of PED's. 

1 minute ago, iacas said:

Tiger was never very big. I feel like you've never seen him in person. Toned? Yes. Big? No.

I agree. He never looked big. I've seen him a handful of times at the Firestone Inv. He looked like a guy who was in shape. 

9 hours ago, Buckeyebowman said:

And, I did not work out! I simply played sports. But I had that "build" from the day I was born. To see someone morph from a stringbean to a mesomorph is something else.

It's not. Again, he didn't suddenly change overnight. There are people everywhere who are those stringbean teenager who start working out and in a few years are toned up. It happens all the time. 

Your experience means nothing because you are not Tiger and he's not you. 

[colin007]

i have a very thin frame - when i was 16 i stopped growing and was 6'4" and weighed 155 lbs. at 21 i was still 6'4" (lol) and weighed 225 - almost all muscle. frame is the same, just packed on the muscle by lifting and eating lots of protein.

[ChrisP]

IF he did take PEDs (and I'm not saying he did), I believe he would have taken them sometime around 2008 or 2009. A lot of athletes have taken HGH in the past to recover from surgeries, and if Tiger took HGH, it is likely he took them to try and heal faster from his knee surgery. Before then, he didn't have any injury issues, but since really 2010, it's been one thing after another. Like I said, not saying he did them, just saying that if he was guilty, that's the reasoning behind his taking them. I remember Andy Petitte taking HGH to recover from shoulder surgery faster.

Edited June 1, 2016 by ChrisP

[saevel25]

8 minutes ago, ChrisP said:

Before then, he didn't have any injury issues, but since really 2010, it's been one thing after another. 

You'd be wrong

1994: Had a benign tumor removed form his left knee
2002: Had a cyst removed from his left knee
2006: Injured muscles in his shoulder blade
2007: Ruptured ACL

 

[ChrisP]

1 hour ago, saevel25 said:

You'd be wrong

1994: Had a benign tumor removed form his left knee
2002: Had a cyst removed from his left knee
2006: Injured muscles in his shoulder blade
2007: Ruptured ACL

 

Well obviously the ACL. That began the domino effect. But I don't remember the other injuries really costing him any time.

[saevel25]

2 minutes ago, ChrisP said:

Well obviously the ACL. That began the domino effect. But I don't remember the other injuries really costing him any time.

Maybe not, but it could have been contributing factors to his eventual rupture of his ACL. 

[StefanUrkel]

All kinds of rumors. You think he juiced over the years?  

[saevel25]

2 minutes ago, StefanUrkel said:

All kinds of rumors. You think he juiced over the years?  

This topic has been discussed in other threads, like this one, 

and here, 

And probably in other Tiger Woods threads. We really don't need another one. 

 

[Apoc81]

On 5/31/2016 at 0:05 PM, ChrisP said:

I think the main reason why people think he did them are the whole Gallea link, his bulking up and the injuries. And they're not just in one spot...they're all over (back, neck, knee twice, calf, etc.) It's like you can play the Operation game with Tiger Wodos. And people look at a lot of the guys that took PEDs (McGwire, ARod, Bonds) and they see how they're getting all these injuries and they instantly link Tiger to them.

I have my suspicions, but there's not enough evidence to point that he did it, IMO. If more stuff comes out down the road, then I'll re-evaluate my beliefs. But for now, until they come up with more stuff, he's innocent.

Are you seriously trying to compare the size of McGuire and Bonds to Tiger Woods? Both of those were on the edge of breaking bodybuilder size. Tiger was like 185, he just happened to look 'big' on camera in fairly tight red shirt./ I must use PED's too, because i've been weight training since before high school, and i'm 6'4 and quite big. Except for that, well, I have never, ever done PED's, and neither has Tiger. Have any of you ever seen him in person? He really is not that big at all. I saw him play in 03, 06, and 07 live at a couple of different events, Tiger isn't very big, he's just (fairly) tall, with thich legs, arms, shoulders, and chest. It gives him proportion and makes him look bigger, but he is certainly not big. 

 

Its so ****ing obvious Tiger has never taken PED's. Such a crock. He looks like a man who has worked out his whole life, no more, even at his biggest. If you think PED's would help his golf, you are being foolish. 

[ChrisP]

2 hours ago, Apoc81 said:

Are you seriously trying to compare the size of McGuire and Bonds to Tiger Woods? Both of those were on the edge of breaking bodybuilder size. Tiger was like 185, he just happened to look 'big' on camera in fairly tight red shirt./ I must use PED's too, because i've been weight training since before high school, and i'm 6'4 and quite big. Except for that, well, I have never, ever done PED's, and neither has Tiger. Have any of you ever seen him in person? He really is not that big at all. I saw him play in 03, 06, and 07 live at a couple of different events, Tiger isn't very big, he's just (fairly) tall, with thich legs, arms, shoulders, and chest. It gives him proportion and makes him look bigger, but he is certainly not big. 

 

Its so ****ing obvious Tiger has never taken PED's. Such a crock. He looks like a man who has worked out his whole life, no more, even at his biggest. If you think PED's would help his golf, you are being foolish. 

Woah there, nelly. Calm down. First of all, it's not so obvious. There's a lot of speculation out there....25% of pro golfers polled said themselves they think he did it and even more when it comes to the public...and of course there's the ties to Galea. While there is no concrete and hard evidence, it's one of those "do you believe the links or don't you" kind of things. Secondly, there are PEDs out there, such as HGH, that has helped athletes recover from injuries before, so while it may not have helped his golf game, it may have helped him try and recover from his surgeries at a quicker rate or help with pain. I've always said and still say to this day, if Tiger Woods did do something, it wasn't to help with his golf game, but to help recover from his injuries. 

I don't know whether he did it or not. I don't really care anymore at this point. The topic is old news. Deep down I have this feeling he did, but then again, after listening to Haney and Williams' quotes, I'm inclined to think he didn't. Obviously Tiger fans like yourself will defend him no matter what. Sorry...I'm not a Tiger fan, so I see things a little differently than you do. I don't hate the guy, but I'm certainly not a fan. Too many I've heard about him and seen come out that has made me lose respect for him. But I do respect his game, and for the sake of the game, I truly hope it does not come out he did anything because it would be terrible for golf.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 3, 2017 by ChrisP