Dr. Sam Kinder, a prominent knee surgeon with a long history of operating on PGA touring professionals, told a hastily assembled Phoenix, Arizona news conference that at least 16 PGA pros had opted for knee surgery since Friday.
"I call it the Tiger effect," Dr. Kinder said. "These are professional athletes who will do anything for a competitive edge. If Tiger is seen limping on a bad knee to victory in a major, these other golfers want the same thing."
The PGA is considering a ban on elective knee surgery but recognizes that such a ban will be difficult to enforce. "If you make elective knee surgery illegal for professional golfers," Dr. Kinder warned, "you're going to see people getting injured in illegal, backroom knee surgery clinics. You're much better off having it out in the open, where procedures can be supervised."
Limping down fairways, grimacing after each shot, denying the use of painkillers, and taking off months at a time from practicing are strategies likely to replace taking lessons, practicing chipping and putting, and spending long hours on the driving range, according to golf experts.
"But if Tiger's getting his knee cut open," Dr. Kinder suggested, "then I'm sure I'll be seeing Sergio, Vijay, and even Jim Furyk in here before long. Furyk looks so uptight that I think he might have more of a bowel issue, but that's just one surgeon's opinion."
But knee surgery, necessary or not, is the most likely new option for golfers.
Golfers across the nation, professional and amateur, were stunned by Tiger Woods' astonishing performance in the recent U.S. Open at Torrey Pines.
"He's better with one bad knee than all other golfers with two good knees," Dr. Kinder said. "I don't want to perform unnecessary surgery, but it's not just that 'these guys are good,' as the PGA TV commercials say. Their health insurance is good, too."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment