Just when I thought the PGA Tour's new drug-testing program couldn't get any more credible, I read this: In the 237 times Charles Howell III has teed it up on the PGA Tour, he never had a round end like Thursday at the AT&T National. After signing for an even-par 70, he was handed a pink slip.Weird. Howell, 130 pounds in moon boots, wasn't hopped up on 'roids? Didn't see that coming.
Howell was among the first players chosen for testing under the tour's Anti-Doping Program that went into effect this week. He left the scoring area at about 5:45 p.m., and came back out to the putting green 40 minutes later. He was given a pink piece of paper showing that his sample was valid.
Howell says he doesn't think any PGA Tour player "is taking something they shouldn't be taking," but his fear is "the accidental thing" -- the false-positive. I'm not sure the entire tour is drug-free -- I mean, the laws of probability suggest somebody's juicing -- but I suspect it's most prevalent among fringe players willing to do anything to improve. The thing is, unlike most sports, I'm not sure taking steroids or human growth hormone offers much of an advantage.
Maybe it helps golfers return from injury faster, but in terms of on-course performance, the benefits are pretty inconsequential. Sure, you might be able to drive if farther, but if you couldn't get up-and-down from 50 yards before pharmacological intervention, that won't change.
