Tiger Woods Confident that Golf is Clean

Former world number one, Tiger Woods has stated that, although drugs testing in golf has some way to go, he is confident that the nature of its players means that it is a clean sport.

Woods was speaking in the wake of the International Cycling Union's (UCI) decision to strip Lance Armstrong of the seven Tour de France titles that he won between 1999 and 2005, and he feels that the efforts that golf’s governing bodies have made are sufficient for now.

"We just implemented testing probably three years ago I think it is," he said. "I know we don't do any blood work like some of the other sports do. Right now it's just urine samples, but that's certainly a positive step in the right direction to try and validate our sport.”

Whilst Woods may have occasionally courted controversy both on and off the course he is keen to point out that professional golfers are an honest breed and that, even when they have the opportunity to take advantage of a situation they will admit their mistakes out of respect for their opponent. 

"This is a sport where we turn ourselves in on mistakes. A ball moves in the trees, guys call penalties on themselves. Golf is a different sport” Woods was quoted as saying "I think that's one of the neat things about our great game, and I think with the testing, it's only enhanced that respectability throughout all of sport." 

Cycling’s popularity in the UK has undoubtedly been boosted by the performances of Bradley Wiggins and co over the summer but unfortunately the Lance Armstrong affair has cast a shadow over Team GB’s achievements at the Olympics. With Golf in Europe still revelling in the success of the Ryder Cup, let’s hope that Tiger Woods is right and that there isn’t a scandal waiting around the corner to knock golf off its pedestal.