25% of PGA Pro Think Tiger took PED's!

[GolfSpy_X]

http://www.golf.com/golf/tours_news/article/0,28136,1985895,00.html

 

Tiger Woods emphatically denies that he has ever used performance-enhancing drugs, but almost a quarter of PGA Tour players surveyed by Sports Illustrated don't believe him. Of 71 PGA Tour players surveyed, 24 percent said they thought Woods "used HGH or other performance-enhancing drugs." Seventy-six percent said they believed that Woods did not take any PEDs.

 

Questions about Woods and PEDs arose in late 2009 when a New York Times article linked Woods to Canadian doctor Anthony Galea. The Times said Galea was under criminal investigation in the United States, and that he was suspected of providing performance-enhancing drugs to athletes. At the Masters this month, Woods said that federal investigators had contacted his agent, Mark Steinberg, about the Galea probe, but had not asked to interview him. During that same media conference, Woods unequivocally denied taking any performance-enhancing drugs and said that Galea was treating his left leg after Woods's knee surgery in 2008.

 

"(Galea) never gave me HGH or any PEDs. I've never taken that my entire life. I've never taken any illegal drug, ever, for that matter," Woods said, going on to explain that Galea had given him "platelet-enriched plasma treatments," a blood-spinning technique that Galea has used on many elite athletes to help them recover from surgery faster. "As you all know, in 2008 I blew out my ACL (anterior cruciate ligament), and part of my reconstruction with my LCL (lateral collateral ligament), it wasn't reacting properly, it was a little bit stuck. And so I had the PRP injection into my LCL."

 

At the Quail Hollow Championship in Charlotte, N.C., on Wednesday, Woods said that his physical therapist recommended Galea, although Woods declined to name the therapist. The New York Daily News reported in December that Woods had been treated by Mark Lindsay, a Canadian chiropractor who is a principal in a Toronto clinic with Galea, and the Times reported that it was Lindsay who asked Galea to look at Woods. Lindsay sometimes treated patients of Bay Area Lab Cooperative (BALCO) founder Victor Conte. In 2005 Conte pleaded guilty to distributing steroids and money laundering.

 

"A lot of guys have worked with (Galea), a lot of athletes have worked with him. Look at the list of athletes he's worked with, it's a who's-who," Woods said. "As I explained earlier at the Masters, the same thing with Dr. (Mark) Whitten with my eyes. One of the reasons why I went to see (Whitten) is because he's worked with so many athletes and had just a tremendous amount of success, and Dr. Galea was the same."

 

The Sports Illustrated survey appears in the May 3 issue of SI Golf Plus. In the annual survey, the magazine polled 71 Tour players about their views on everything from Woods's recent sex scandals and the Ryder Cup to President Barack Obama. Only 8 percent of players surveyed said they had heard about Woods's infidelities prior to his Thanksgiving night car accident. The complete survey is here.

 

POLL INFO

 

SI recently polled 71 players to gauge their feelings on issues regarding Tiger Woods, politics, the Ryder Cup and other matters. Some players declined to answer certain questions (thus percentages are for respondents only), while others offered, under the cloak of anonymity, some choice one-liners, the most notable of which are included.

 

Who will win this year's Ryder Cup?

U.S.: 73%

Europe: 27%

 

Do you care who wins the World Cup?

Yes: 35%

No: 65%

Loose Lips: "No, rednecks don't watch soccer."

 

Do you think the health-care reform bill is good or bad for the U.S.?

Good: 16%

Bad: 84%

 

How many pairs of jeans do you own?

1-3: 25%

4-6: 31%

7-10: 23%

More than 10: 21%

 

Which would you rather have, Alvaro Quiros' length or Brad Faxon's putting stroke?

Quiros' length: 45%

Faxon's stroke: 55%

 

Do you approve or disapprove of the job Barack Obama is doing?

Approve: 17%

Disapprove: 83%

Loose Lips: "I simply want to see him make a decision."

 

Which PGA Tour player should have his own reality show?

Tiger Woods: 30%

John Daly: 21%

No one: 20%

Boo Weekley: 15%

Rory Sabbatini: 5%

Loose Lips: "Tiger two years ago would be interesting."

Rickie Fowler, Verizon Heritage

Scott Halleran/Getty Images

 

Would you dress like Rickie Fowler for 1 million dollars a year?

Yes: 77%

No: 23%

Loose Lips: "I'd dress like John Daly for a million dollars."

 

How about 2 million dollars?

Yes: 86%

No: 14%

Loose Lips: "I'd do it for 7 dollars."

 

Tiger Woods has 14 major championships. Jack Nicklaus has 18. Will Tiger break Jack's record?

Yes: 93%

No: 7%

Loose Lips: "If he doesn't win one or two this year, no."

 

Had you heard about Tiger's infidelities before his car crash?

Yes: 8%

No: 92%

 

Does Tiger's scandal change the way you view his legacy?

Yes: 26%

No: 74%

Tiger Woods, Round 4, 2010 Masters

John Biever/SI

 

Do you think Tiger used HGH or other performance-enhancing drugs?

Yes: 24%

No: 76%

Loose Lips: "I don't know, but something's not right."

 

What percentage of married players are faithful to their wives?

90-100 percent: 60%

80-89 percent: 12%

70-79 percent: 17%

Under 70 percent: 12%

Loose Lips: "I'd like to say 100%, but we know that's not true."

 

Of this year's major championship venues, which is your favorite?

Augusta National: 47%

Pebble Beach: 29%

St. Andrews: 24%

Whistling Straits: 0%

 

Who is the second-best player of the Tiger Woods era? Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson or Vijay Singh?

Els: 1%

Mickelson: 96%

Singh: 3%

 

Who will win a major first: Martin Kaymer, Anthony Kim, Rory McIlroy or Camilo Villegas?

Kaymer: 9%

Kim: 75%

McIlroy: 12%

Villegas: 4%

Sergio Garcia, Zurich Classic

Chris Trotman/Getty Images

 

Will Adam Scott win a major?

Yes: 49%

No: 51%

 

How about Lee Westwood?

Yes: 90%

No: 10%

 

Ian Poulter?

Yes: 44%

No: 56%

Loose Lips: "God, I hope not!"

 

Will Sergio Garcia win a major?

Yes: 60%

No: 40%

Loose Lips: "He can win if he gets his head out of his you-know-what."

 

Who is the most overrated player on Tour?

Sergio Garcia: 23%

Ian Poulter: 17%

Ricky Barnes: 13%

Bubba Watson: 13%

Other votes: Chris DiMarco, Ryo Ishikawa, Martin Kaymer, Camilo Villegas

Loose Lips: "The same guy (Garcia) it has been for each of the last three years."

 

The most underrated?

Martin Kaymer: 10%

Tiger Woods: 10%

Hunter Mahan: 8%

Other votes: Briny Baird, Angel Cabrera, Chad Campbell, K.J. Choi, Jim Furyk, Sergio Garcia, Bill Haas, Steve Marino, Phil Mickelson, Sean O'Hair, Ian Poulter, Heath Slocum, Kevin Sutherland, Nick Watney

 

Who is the slowest player on Tour?

Ben Crane: 39%

Kevin Na: 31%

Other votes: Glen Day, J.B. Holmes, Jeff Klauk, Chris Tidland, Omar Uresti

Loose Lips: "Hate to say it's Ben Crane because he's trying really hard."

 

Read more: http://www.golf.com/golf/tours_news/article/0,28136,1985630,00.html#ixzz0mbdWZb6G

[JohnBarry]

Who is the most overrated player on Tour?

Sergio Garcia: 23%

 

 

I tend to agree

[jamo]

I hate when they ask the political questions. 1) Who really cares, and 2) we all know pro golfers are one of the most conservative bunches out there. Yet they do it year after year. Sorry for that little bit of politics. Anyway, surprises for me: That 8% knew about Tiger's infidelity (and no one spoke up!?!), no love for Whistling Straits (I figured someone would have liked it. Tough competition though), Els only gets 1% for second best player of the Tiger era (and Vijay only 3%, he has my vote), it's amazing how every year Tiger gets votes for most underrated player (I don't disagree with them though), no love for Sergio (I think he's an underrated ballstiker, we all know the rest of his game sucks), I sure hope Poulter doesn't win a major (GO ADAM SCOTT), no soccer love (it's kind of hard to root for the US), how could you take Fazon's putting over Quiros' length (distance is much more fun). I still don't think he took PED's, but to me there is really no reason to speculate. He has never failed a test and no one has come out and accused him (a la Canseco to McGwire), so I wont question him.

[Matt Saternus]

I hate when they ask the political questions. 1) Who really cares, and 2) we all know pro golfers are one of the most conservative bunches out there. Yet they do it year after year. Sorry for that little bit of politics. Anyway, surprises for me: That 8% knew about Tiger's infidelity (and no one spoke up!?!), no love for Whistling Straits (I figured someone would have liked it. Tough competition though), Els only gets 1% for second best player of the Tiger era (and Vijay only 3%, he has my vote), it's amazing how every year Tiger gets votes for most underrated player (I don't disagree with them though), no love for Sergio (I think he's an underrated ballstiker, we all know the rest of his game sucks), I sure hope Poulter doesn't win a major (GO ADAM SCOTT), no soccer love (it's kind of hard to root for the US), how could you take Fazon's putting over Quiros' length (distance is much more fun). I still don't think he took PED's, but to me there is really no reason to speculate. He has never failed a test and no one has come out and accused him (a la Canseco to McGwire), so I wont question him.

 

+1

 

Definitely the most interesting thing to me is the stat in the title, that 25% think Tiger took PEDs.