/ 19 July 2007

Goosen blasts Player over ‘drugs in golf’

Retief Goosen has blasted Gary Player for claiming that the use of performance-enhancing drugs is rife in golf.

Goosen, speaking after opening his British Open campaign with a one-under-par 70, said he did not agree with Player and criticised his fellow South African’s judgement in speaking out about the issue without being willing to provide any evidence to back up his assertion.

”I’m actually very shocked at Gary’s comments,” Goosen said. ”I don’t know what he was trying to prove, saying what he said.

”I feel, who knows, if people start taking drugs out there, if we want to confirm that, let’s do drug-testing. He mustn’t come and say ‘I know of 10 guys taking drugs’ and he can’t say what it is. So he might as well not have said anything.”

Player (72) claimed that ten or more of the world’s leading golfers could be using banned substances and said he personally knew one player who had told him directly about his use of substances that are banned in most sports.

”Whether it is HGH ([uman growth hormone], whether it’s creatine or whether it’s steroids, I know for a fact that some golfers are doing it,” the legendary South African told reporters on the eve of the Open Championship.

Asked to guess how many golfers could be on drugs, he added: ”I would say there’s ten guys out there taking something. I might be way out. Definitely not going to be lower, but might be a hell of a lot more.”

But Goosen said he had seen no evidence of doping in golf.

”I’ve seen loads of Advils flying around for back pain but I have not seen anything else. I think that is probably the least talked about subject on the tour.

”If Gary wants to come and make these comments, why doesn’t he name them? If he wants to damage the sport by starting to say things like that, then he must come out and say it.

”He mustn’t make these half comments. I mean, I respect Gary Player, he is a good friend of mine and we get along very well. But I don’t know what he was trying to prove by making the comments.”

Goosen was happier with his form than he was with Player. The two-time US Open winner had missed four cuts in five tournaments going into the tournament, but he was ticking over nicely for much of Thursday’s round.

Birdies at the fourth, sixth and seventh allowed him to bounce back from a bogey on the second and he had a putt to go to five under on the long 14th after picking up two more shots on the 12th and 13th.

He missed the putt, however, and the wheels came off for the South African at the 15th, a 472-yard par four that is one of the toughest holes on the course.

After depositing his drive in a deep bunker he was obliged to hack out sideways and then sent his third shot well to the left of the green, eventually signing for a double bogey six before dropping another shot at the short 16th to finish at just one under.

”It was a disappointing finish but overall I’m off to a half-decent start,” Goosen said. ”We’ll try to get something going tomorrow [Friday] again.

”It was tough because it was so cold, that’s the main thing. The ball’s just not going anywhere. Into the wind, you’re hitting three extra clubs.

”I’ve got a tee shirt, sweater, the whole works on. It is cold and this morning with the rain it was even worse. When I was hitting balls on the range this morning I could just barely warm up. I don’t know why I bother, why I went, it was so cold.” — Sapa-AFP