"Oh yeah, there were plenty of guys on the Nationwide Tour who smoked in the middle of the round...We always talked about it. You could go in the Porta John and take your drags."

It's always fun to read a well done player profile, especially when the player is interesting and his story is bound to have men in Oxford's running around PGA Tour offices trying to figure out the spin.

So while all the stuff Dave Shedloski tells us about in the Robert Garrigus story--Memphis last year, the 2011 U.S. Open and his struggle with addiction--these are the comments bound to be brought up the next time Tim Finchem claims that PGA Tour pros are all angels and drug testing was unnecessary.

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"There quite possibly wouldn't be drug testing on the PGA Tour if Woods hadn't backed the notion."

Steve Elling suggests that the initial revelations from the Anthony Galea charges would seem to suggest that even though Galea wasn't licensed to Florida and Tiger's shaded the truth fairly consistently in the last year, it's still hard to imagine Woods using performance-enhancing drugs.
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Why Dr. Galea, Why?

One thing is clear in reading the Anthony Galea charges filed Tuesday: Tiger Woods is not named in the complaint, nor is there any evidence presented that he was the recipient of the special knee potion that the doctor cooked up for his NFL clients, leading to the charges filed against Galea. The only possible reference to Tiger appears to be under the name Athlete D, when Galea visited Orlando on August 2nd.
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"Other players have reportedly received TUEs. Why?"

Doug Barron continues to make a convincing case for a Therapeutic Use Exemption while raising questions about the tour's desire to single him out.

I played four Nationwide events early in 2009 and was never tested (I think because officials knew about my condition). In June, I received a sponsor's exemption to the Tour's St. Jude Classic. As the tournament approached, I was so depleted I could hardly get out of bed, so I took a shot of testosterone. I knew I was tempting fate.

I shot 72 in the first round, and was then asked to supply a urine sample. Last November, I was notified that I'd tested positive. I was suspended and blocked from Q school. I planned to appeal, but commissioner Tim Finchem, the sole arbiter in such cases, told me I'd never win.

Other players have reportedly received TUEs. Why? What are their levels and what are they taking? I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but one Tour round, one drug test, for a guy with a widely known issue, didn't feel right. Was I being made an example?

Of course. But why is the question that will inevitably be answered in court. And we know how well that worked out last time.

"Finchem said to me, 'If you appeal, you would come down to court in Jacksonville and will lose.'"

Nice work by Ryan Ballengee with his interview and latest info on Doug Barron. Obviously the tour will counter this with their side, but it's going to have to be a strong case they make if Barron's claims of ultimately relying on his doctor pan out in court:
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"The tone of the news conference and the demeanor of the usually unflappable Finchem changed direction faster than a putt on the slick and tricky greens of the Plantation Course."

Alex Miceli reports on Tim Finchem's testy sitdown with the scribblers just a few weeks after he put on a brave face to talk about Tiger's leave.

It appears that ASAP has not been hired to do transcripts for the Kapalua event, but we thankfully have Golfweek's Miceli to share the key exchanges with us:

Question: Have you talked to Tiger or attempted to talk to him?

Tim Finchem: Have I talked to who?

Q: Tiger.

Finchem: I answered this question before. The answer is, I have not.

Q: When?

Finchem: The day I did my press conference (Dec. 17).

Now that's a weird answer. Or just a wee bit smart assy...take your pick.

Q: It’s a few weeks later.

Finchem: No, I have not talked to Tiger. No, I have not talked to him. I don’t know when I would talk to him.

Q: It’s been three weeks. I just thought I would ask.

Finchem: When I addressed that, I thought I addressed it in this context, that he asks for privacy. We pledged our commitment to give him privacy, so that would include me trying to talk to him.

Q: I understand that. I thought with a personal relationship, if you tried to reach him at all.

Finchem: No.

That's just bizarre  he did not try to reach out and touch someone. Actually, this is more peculiar:

Q: You were asked about Tiger’s relationship with (inaudible). You said you had no concerns...

Finchem: No, what I said was that I was not involved in evaluating it myself. That our anti-doping team, which includes internal people and external people, had reviewed the procedure that was given to Tiger in media reports, and they had no concerns that that procedure violated our anti-doping policies. That’s what I said.

Q: You also said, according to the transcript, ‘I have no reason to have any concern.’

Finchem: Because of that report, I had no reason.

So they reached their conclusion about Tiger's work with Dr. Galea based on news reports? Granted, Dr. Galea did blab excessively to the New York Times but that sure seems like an odd way to conduct an investigation even if it was the paper of record.

Q: That comment was widely panned by a number of doping experts, including the head of WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency), who accused you of having your head in the sand.

Finchem: Was he talking about the procedure or the possibility of using HGH (human growth hormone)? I had no report that they said anything about me having my head in the sand.

Q: Well, he said, I quote, unquote, As a doping expert, when I hear in the same question, blood spinning, HGH and Actovegin, I tend to straighten up and have a better look. At least you look into it.

Finchem: I appreciate his advice. I will stand by the response I gave during the press conference. I had no reason to be concerned about the procedure that was reported. I’m not so sure that that’s inconsistent with what he said. I’m not suggesting it is, but I will stand by my response. Do you have another question?

Oh, a do you have another question! I believe that's MBASpeak for, go...oh wait, this is a family website.

Q: You don't think maybe you could have phrased it differently?

Finchem: I’m not going to play word games with you.

He would never do such a thing. Well there was the time he used Latin. And there was coterminously.

I answered your question. If you have another question, I will try to answer that one.

I think someone needs a Kapalua Spa day! Get this man a Waihua’s Lomilomi Massage, followed by a Blueberry Soy Slimming, a Vitamin C Firm & Tone and top it all off by throwing a Microdermabrasion & Yam Enzyme on the old PGA Tour expense account. (And you think I'm making those up...here's the menu.)