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Caddie says Tiger Woods never used PEDs

By Josh Criswell

Apr 12, 2015; Augusta, GA, USA; Tiger Woods hits his tee shot on the 12th hole during the final round of The Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 12, 2015; Augusta, GA, USA; Tiger Woods hits his tee shot on the 12th hole during the final round of The Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports /
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Tiger Woods and former caddie Steve Williams may not have the best relationship, but Williams recently took up for Woods by stating that the PGA golfer has never used performance-enhancing-drugs during his career

After a high-profile breakup between Tiger Woods and Steve Williams, the man who carried his golf bag and provided guidance for all but one of his 14 major championship wins, the fired caddie would be the last person you would expect to take up for Woods.

The two definitely have their differences, but the emotions are not near as tense as they were immediately following the split. Williams was initially very soured by the way Tiger ended their partnership over the phone, and it is still something that troubles him today. He did not take the firing gracefully on his end either, making a racist comment regarding Woods during a caddie awards dinner.

Despite this, however, Williams refused to acknowledge any notion that Woods might have used performance-enhancing drugs during a recent interview with Golf Digest.

"“Did Tiger do PEDs? There’s no chance. Love him or hate him, Tiger always respected the game. He knows its history and people, its standing in sports and the world. He always knew what golf did for him personally. Whether PEDs have been used by other people is a good question, because it’s occurred in every other sport. So why would golf be any different? “"

People often point to the way that Woods’ body has broken down on him in recent years as evidence of potential PED use, but in reality, it is much more likely the byproduct of years of his powerful swing putting incredible stress on his body.

Sure, Tiger may have had what some would call an obsession with being labeled an elite athlete. After all, his former swing coach Hank Haney revealed several workout related injuries related to the PGA golfer in his book “The Big Miss,” including a serious knee injury suffered while training with the Navy SEALs.

While it is true that Tiger most likely hurt his career and is currently paying the price for his ambitious workout regimen, I also find it very hard to believe that he used PEDs during his career.

You can say what you want to about the adultery scandal that plagued his personal life, or his recent struggles on the golf course, in which he has failed to win a major since 2008, but Williams is right in saying that Tiger has always had a tremendous amount of respect for the game of golf.

This respect for the game is why he refuses to play when he is not at a contending level, and why he stepped away from the golf course back in 2009 so that his personal scandal could blow over and not taint the image of the PGA.

I find it difficult to believe that the same golfer would risk the image of the game by cheating to gain a competitive advantage, but then again, he would be far from the first athlete to surprise me if so.

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