[Update 8/22/2013: I have been reading up on steroids and came across this from one of the Jose Canseco books. Confirms some of the reader’s analysis about the mental edge resulting from the use of PEDs:
“The first thing you will notice is an increase in strength,” I would tell them. “But you won’t see much difference at the beginning. You’ll feel it, though, and that’ll give you a psychological edge. Then, in about four or five weeks, you’ll start seeing some real, physical changes, and at that point, hell — the sky’s the limit.”
Steroids didn’t make me a great baseball player. I was already a great player. Steroids simply gave me an edge, physical and psychological, and I loved that about them.]
A reader left fascinating commentary/analysis yesterday, a very detailed look back at Tiger Woods’ career and the likelihood of PED usage. A very worthwhile read, the kind of considered analysis you are never going to get out of the corporate golf media. Here it is in its entirety:
In case the tone of this comment is confusing, I’d just like to clarify that it is copy and pasted from a message I posted on a Tiger Woods forum. Thanks:
I’d like to prelude the main agenda of this post by stating that I have been an enormous Tiger Woods fan for just about thirteen years now. His brilliance first came to my attention when he massacred the field in the 2000 US Open at Pebble Beach by an eye-watering fifteen strokes, and my devotion has never wavered, even with some of the unpleasant happenings off the golf course which have transpired since that fateful night in November 2009.
It is precisely because he has meant so much to me throughout my childhood, and now into my twenties, that this has been so hard to admit. However, the time for denial is over, and my true feelings must come to the fore. OK, here it goes… unfortunately, and I really do mean unfortunately, I believe that Tiger was using performance enhancing drugs for at least a few years during his storied career. If I had to guess, going by the remarkable transformation in his physique, I would say he began taking shortcuts at some point between late 2002 (around the time of the surgery that forced him out of competition for a couple of months) and 2005, carrying on either until 2008 (when the PGA Tour’s doping policy came into play) or late 2009 (when Dr Anthony Galea was found out to be a supplier of PEDs).
There are just way, way too many coincidences for this not to be the case. Please allow me to state my case:
1. The most obvious piece of evidence comes from sheer, hard facts. Tiger Woods hired a Canadian doctor who was a known distributor of PEDs such as HGH to carry out plasma rich therapy at his Florida home. WHY an earth would you do that when there are an abundance of qualified therapists much nearer to home? Upon his return at the US Masters in 2010, Tiger was asked what procedure(s) Dr Galea performed during his rehab from the ACL tear. What he should have been asked was “Why did you hire a known PED distributor in the first place?” He was really let off the hook here, and it’s incredible that more hasn’t been more made of this since. So many top sportsmen share doctor’s, lawyer’s, dentist’s etc, so it’s highly dubious, to put it mildly, that so many of Dr Galea’s patients have been found guilty of taking banned substances, yet we are supposed to believe that the number one golfer in the world and possibly of all time is one of the only clean ones. This alone should raise red flags in even the most ardent of Tiger’s followers. However, there’s more…
2. The PGA Tour began their anti-doping policy on July 1st, 2008, at the AT&T National. Tiger’s last appearance of the season was between the 12th-15th June, in the US Open at Torrey Pines. The next event he would have played, if not for the torn ACL, would have been… yep, you guessed it. Now it would be ludicrous to claim that the injury and subsequent surgery was all a sham, so I’m not going to go down that route. Tiger claimed he had been playing with an injury since July 2007, which I’m willing to go with. However, my belief is that PEDs such as testosterone and steroids are exactly what helped Tiger play through the injury, and it is because these were no longer viable options with the new policy in place that there was no choice but to have the surgery and look to heal naturally (at least for the most part).
Supporting this claim is the fact that Tiger’s rapid physical transformation (3) from 2005 or so through 2008 became a lot more apparent from the summer of 2007 onwards (remember the almost superhuman physique displayed in the tight red shirt on Sunday at Oakmont?) If he did injure himself in the summer of 2007, it would make sense to up the dosage of PEDs in order to heal quicker and be able to play through the pain barrier.
4. Now I mentioned a little while ago that I felt the recovery from the ACL injury was undertaken in a more natural way than the “supplements” used in the few years prior. This doesn’t mean everything was totally above board, and is where Dr Galea comes in. Before the anti-doping policy was introduced, it would presumably be no problem ordering testosterone and the like from more ‘mainstream’ sources, such as the Biogenesis clinic in Miami (NOTE, please click on the link below).
//lannyhgolf.wordpress.com/2013/08/03/is-the-pga-hiding-tiger-woods-link-to-biogenesis-and-steroids/
Once the policy came into play, you would have to be more canny. I believe when Tiger was off with this ACL injury, he dropped the testosterone and the steroids as a positive drug test would signal the end of his career, and all the dreams of passing Jack and becoming the best there’s ever been would be forever crushed.
However, it is known that HGH can be administered in such a way as to make it extremely difficult to detect, hence why it is so popular and widespread throughout all of sport. Tiger had to retain his edge and athletic advantage over the rest of the field somehow, and it would make sense for this to be the one PED out of the three biggies to remain as part of the regime. Surely an HGH expert such as Dr Galea would be able to administer the hormone in such a way as to make it look natural?
5. When Dr Galea was found guilty, that’s when the last of the cocktail of PEDs had to go. And surprise, surprise, the injuries start to pile up in a way they never had before… the walk-off at The Players, the withdrawal at Doral through a “tight achilles” (from the man who won the US Open on one leg!) Suddenly the man who could play through anything was a lot more fragile. A cynical person might suggest that the weak tendons and ligaments are a classic case of post-PED withdrawal (not me of course, hehe!)
So, am I saying that all of Tiger’s success was built on a foundation of lies? Not really. I don’t believe he was juicing earlier in his career, such as in 2000, which is rightly considered to be his finest year of Tour. With or without enhancements he would have been the greatest player in the world, just maybe not by quite such an astonishing distance.
Many people say that steroids, testosterone, HGH etc. would be of little use to a golfer. This is true when looking at individual facets of the game in isolation, such as driving distance, iron play and short game. However, what they forget is that PEDs help with your endurance and therefore allow you to train harder. How can it not be an advantage to have the physical stamina to practice for eight hours a day rather than four?
Recovery time after exertion is also sped up dramatically, so you can be at your best every single week. It’s interesting that as Tiger increased in size and was at his most physically impressive, he was suddenly able to put himself in contention every single week. Look at the absurd level of consistency from 2006-2009 and compare it to that of 2001-2002, two hugely impressive years but nowhere near as consistent. Post-2009/Dr G, Tiger has began to have many more off-weeks where he doesn’t even come close to winning, which is understandable as physical energy levels wax and wane. This can be explained in 2010 and 2011 through swing changes, personal trauma etc. but not so much from 2012 onwards, where he clearly has the game to play the lights out but can’t do so on a consistent basis. Not being quite as fresh from day-to-day due to lack of enhancements will do that to you.
Another, much under-appreciated benefit of PED’s is the MENTAL well-being they provide. What do steroids, testosterone and HGH all have in common? They make you feel youthful, confident and capable of achieving anything. Take a cocktail of all three and you start to feel bulletproof. If you walk around in a state of euphoria believing you are the man, then you are much more likely to hit that great drive or hole that clutch putt on the 72nd hole under the most intense pressure. Without the added help, these things won’t come quite as easily (notice how the clutch putting has almost evaporated in recent years?)
Tiger has always been known as a terrific closer of tournaments. However, it may surprise you to learn that when he was a wiry young man, not pumped full of exogenous testosterone and anabolic steroids, he was much more prone to hitting poor shots under pressure (relating to my ‘confidence’ point above).
2000-2001 is considered by many to be his finest stretch, but think about some of the crazy shots that were hit during the business end of tournaments:
– The drive that was sliced miles right on the 2nd hole of the 2000 PGA playoff against Bob May, which would have resulted in a bogey if for not the tremendous slice of luck afforded on the 2nd shot, in which Tiger’s ball hit the cart path and trundled on over the green into par-saving territory.
– The even worse drive on the 3rd and final playoff hole which would have been unplayable had some kid not thrown in out of the wilderness back down the cart path. This was one of the most fortunate playoff victories of all time.
– 2001 Bay Hill Invitational – 16th hole, final round: Tiger hits it 2 feet from OB. Then hits another disastrous tee shot on the 18th which only avoids going OB as a spectator gets in the way!
– 2001 NEC Invitational – Only requires par on the final hour to beat Furyk, yet somehow manages to miss the green with a pitching wedge from the centre of the fairway and winds up with a bogey. Hits two or three woeful drives in the playoff but is fortunate as each result in playable seconds, and can also thank his lucky stars that Furyk misses a multitude of makeable birdie putts which would have put the tournament to bed. Wins on the 7th extra hole.
– 2001 Dubai Desert Classic – Shocking drive on the final hole, ending in a huge upset as Thomas Bjorn slays the mighty Tiger.
– In general, Tiger would often bogey the final hole of a tournament when he was in the lead, albeit sometimes when his nearest challenger had to birdie it. This is a trait which has returned post-Galea.
When did this ever happen once Tiger had bulked up? (And in my opinion was on this cocktail of confidence boosters). Think Hank Haney era basically. The only example I can muster is the bogey-bogey finish at the 2005 Masters, but I think Tiger always finds it tough to win the first major after a drought, it wouldn’t be human not to feel nervous, testosterone or no testosterone. Back nine of 1999 PGA and the lost opportunities in recent years are cases in point.
So, given my assertion that Tiger wasn’t juicing during some of the best years of this career, and therefore was clearly the best golfer in the world either way, why would he use anything? My belief is that the pressure of winning majors and passing Jack started to take its toll at some point during the early to mid 2000s (which is alluded to by Hank Haney in ‘The Big Miss’ actually), so external ways of finding supreme confidence were required. As I said earlier, if you’re taking testosterone, HGH and steroids, you’ll feel like nothing is out of reach – wouldn’t you love to stand over a 15 foot putt to win a major feeling that way?
I would ask the administrator(s) here to please give this thread a chance. Tiger Woods is my sporting hero, and it pains me to write what I have. This isn’t intended as a windup and certainly isn’t written with the intention of citing hatred and/or anger. All I want is a reasonable discussion on the matter. I want more than anything in the world to believe that Tiger was a clean athlete (I have no doubt that he is now) so if any of the great members here can convince me then that’s fantastic. I’d like to hear from both ends of the spectrum really, from Tiger fans who believe that the PED accusations are are a load of hot air, and from those who may confess to having doubts on our hero’s legacy. Questioning doesn’t make you any less of a fan, it’s only natural to ask questions and to live in a state of blind adoration is very dangerous indeed.
Thank you very much for reading, I appreciate it.
Lanny H Golf 
I think your analysis of the mental benefits/side effects of the drugs is extremely interesting. Pursuing that: The confidence you described on the course would spill into his life off the course and show up as the reckless patterns of behavior Woods exhibited.
1. The sex scandal, in general. More than a few people knew about the activity. From trusted associates (remember the guy who made reservations for Uchitel in Australia) to very untrustworthy sex industry workers (remember how Josyln James spoke of Woods as one of her customers on an Internet podcast well before the scandal broke). The college daughter of a neighbor? Like she’s not going to talk?
2. The whole “Join The Navy” thing Hank Haney wrote about in his book. If that doesn’t sound like a perfect match for PED use, what does?
3. The use of the PEDs themselves. A vicous circle. Taking them for injuries produced a feeling of being bulletproof, which would make the taking of the PEDs seem like less of a risk.
4. Getting caught in the sex scandal by the National Enquirer, yet still not modifying his behavior. (After the deal was struck for the Men’s Health magazine cover.)
5. The general carelessness in his private life. The at-home telephone conversations with Uchitel, which led to his wife’s discovery. Text messages (damning evidence) to seedy characters. The recreational use of Ambien. The “family man” publicity shots at total odds with reality.
He had constructed a house of cards and had way more confidence than warranted. Classic feeling of invulnerability of a PED user.
I think Wood probably dopes to this day. The PGA doesn’t test away from tournament sites, nor do they do blood tests. Woods has access to the best doping doctors in the world, so they can advise him on the best masking methods. (And, of course, now we have a source saying Woods’ name is on the Biogenesis list.)
Could this possibly explain Phil’s almost superhuman abilities as of late? First at the British Open and most recently at the Barclays. It’s like the C student who all of sudden turns in an A paper…teacher scratches head.
Mickelson’s body certainly changed. He went from being a skinny kid to having the big, barrel-shapped torso so typical of steroid abusers in MLB.
I have to say reader ( who isn’t and never was a Tiger fan )that is one great fantasy novel! Tiger’s years of 2006-2009 were the prime years for any golfer. It has shown in many records a player’s greatest success is during that time frame of their career!
So what you are trying to say is after Tiger won all 4 majors in a row and in 2001 and 2002 after winning 10 times just in the U.S. you feel he thought the only way to be the best was to add drugs to his body.
Let’s forget about the fact that Doctor Galea was not even charged with bringing PEDs into the U.S. just misbranding labels. He served just one day for those supposed crimes. The Judge chastised the prosecutor for even bringing the case into his courtroom. Let’s forget about the fact that Canada dropped all charges against after case was settled in the states.
Let’s also forget that the reason Tiger had Doctor Galea do the blood spinning procedure because he was the authority in the world for the treatment. The doctor’s who performed the procedure had been doing it for less than a year! I would think Tiger could afford and would want the best for his care!
Let’s also forget that not one player in any sport came out of it with issues concerning Doctor Galea even though he co-operated with the authorities! If as some of you are saying that the Biogenesis Lab is going to be the demise of Tiger don’t you think he would have sold that info already?
It would make A-Rod look like little league and yet nothing on Tiger connecting him to the lab! All fantasy and nothing will ever come of it! Onbe last thing about Doctor Galea issue…Tiger did not win for over 25 months from when he got treatment from the doctor. If the doctor helped him with his PED use then he should be locked up because it did not work too well!
“Let’s forget about the fact that Doctor Galea was not even charged with bringing PEDs into the U.S. just misbranding labels. He served just one day for those supposed crimes.”
This is simply inaccurate. You can’t just make up facts and expect to be taken seriously.
“If as some of you are saying that the Biogenesis Lab is going to be the demise of Tiger don’t you think he would have sold that info already?”
Porter Fischer may have been willing to sell the files to Woods — and could have even done so already! But the Miami Times may well already have the information, and a source has told Terez Owens that Woods is definitely on the Biogenesis customer list.
Are you saying Galea did not help Woods? Did you not read Hank Haney’s book? He said Woods told him two days after beginning treatment that he felt a massive improvement and felt he could jump onto the kitchen table. Haney joked, “Please don’t do that.” Dude, you are living in fantasyland when it comes to your contentions.
Haney stated specifically that he didn’t believe Tiger had used PEDS, and that Tiger’s only treatment from Galea was blood-spinning therapy. I appears you have been hoisted by your own petard.
Hold on. Are you aware how many times and how many people said Lance Armstrong was clean?
Haney would have no idea, anyway; he wasn’t there for all the treatments, and how would he know even if he was?
This is exactly what I have been trying to tell people for years. This cat has been on the sauce for years. The argument that steroids and golf don’t mix is ridiculous . If your already the best golfer to ever live and then you add PEDS to the mix then your simply unstoppable. Confidence , endurance, strength, sexual appetite nd ye sight would be enhanced . The Tour could have helped him cover this up along with his team. I have long thought that Tigers team made the sexual. stuff more than it was to keep the focus away from Galea . The Tour knows that if they were to lose Tiger they would lose crazy $. The truth usually comes out. I wouldn’t doubt it one bit if they the Biogenesis or something comes out soon. Tiger is just not even close to the same golfer. His short game blows and his swing speed is down significantly. He still moves the ne.edle. The players all know he was cheating. You can tell. Look at some of them now. Tory has balked up and went crazy. Westward got bug
Sorry about my last post. My phone wasn’t operating correctly. Yeah, Westwood got big, Phil got big, Rory got big and went crazy. Tiger could still pull off the record but he may have to get back on the sauce to do so. Mentally he just not the same guy. That’s what will haunt him because he is not geniune . There’s four to sixple who really know: Bosch , Haney , Galea, Finchim , Steve Williams, Elin, Tigers M Manager
Thanks for posting. I followed all your points fine, although it took me a moment to figure out who “Tory” was! A couple of other names I’d toss in would be Porter Fischer (the disgruntled worker who sold the Bosch/Biogenesis records to the Miami New Times), possibly some number of people at the Miami New Times, possibly Rachel Uchitel (for the fact that she was paid off, although it could have been for other matters), Keith Kleven, a trainer. Interesting you mention Haney; I’ve always felt he was ignorant of any doping, but, if he did know, that would mean he was deceptive in “The Big Miss.” As for Finchem, I’m really starting to be disturbed by his probable knowledge. We’ve seen that some financial (and other) firms are willing to do some pretty irresponsible things for that “$.” Why should Finchem be any different?
I haven’t written anything about this, but it’s worth looking at Woods’ play since the Biogenesis news broke. If, as reported, Finchem has that list and Woods’ name is on it, he would have gone to Woods and said, perhaps already knowing more than the public about Galea, or failed drug tests, or being assured by Woods there was nothing to worry about, and said, “The party’s over. Get off the juice, or I have no choice but to go public.” If that happened, the breakdown this year might not be unexpected. Woods did not win again after the Biogenesis news broke last year, but he did play well in several events. I’m not sure how withdrawal would affect a person, so the last half of last year might not be meaningful data.
Lastly, I wonder if the new deputy commissioner announced yesterday has views on the matter; I believe — I’m not certain — that he was something of a surprise pick, i.e., someone else seemed to be the expected next commissioner.
Anyway, thanks again for posting.
It is amazing and yet not amazing how QUIET the golf channel is about Dr Galea and Woods…..They don’t want to see it…It’s like a mother not wanting to see that her son could do anything wrong…….Ofcourse NBC is a crooked network, so lying and cheating to them is just fine, and they are partnered with the golf channel…..It is once again it’s all about the money…You really have to be a succor not to believe Woods is a liar, based already what we know about his private life, so why would cheating in other areas be ANY different…..It wouldn’t….
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This is July 10, 2014 – you were right on target with your story. Great work and kudos for having the fortitude to write it. Woods Is such a huge disappointment.
We are still waiting on that list to come out with Tiger’s name on it. How about none of us hold our breath as it certainly is not anything to lose our life over! LOL!!
This is a complete joke – funny actually. Very one sided article and a hilarious attempt to make unrealistic connections. Don’t forget who was player of the year in 2013 (which kills your post 2009 argument).
Biogenesis got busted in 2013. Woods was linked to it in late July. So 2013 kind of lends credence to his argument.
Anybody that can’t see that Bobby Jones is the greatest golfer of all time doesn’t really know golf. Period. 13 Majors and retires at 28 years old, before what is generally considered to be the “prime” years of a golfers career.
YOU don’t know your golf. Jones’s wins were as an amateur. Professional wins are much more difficult! I was a merely good golfer and halved a winner of two British Amateurs.
I always felt he cheated.