Hensby's Year Suspension Is Over A Refusal To Submit Sample

The rule is simple and the PGA Tour has done its part to uphold the sanctity of their drug testing process, but after seeing Mark Hensby's comments and the summary of his post-round frustration, I think we all understand. A little bit.

First, Hensby's defense, posted by Brian Wacker:

Statement from @HensbyMark on being suspended 1 year by @PGATOUR for violating anti-doping policy ... pic.twitter.com/4eF742KViv

— Brian Wacker (@brianwacker1) December 12, 2017

As Joel Beall notes for GolfDigest.com, the defense is curious but 

Unfortunately for Hensby, the tour didn't buy his explanation, and was informed of the forthcoming suspension.

Hensby waited for his ruling to go public for about a month, and admittedly is somewhat shocked at how much attention it's received. He also doesn't blame the tour for its verdict.

“Don’t get me wrong, a year is a long time, but they have rules," he said

Comments

[Oliver]

Absolutely the right decision by the PGA Tour

[Pat(another one)]

This all just fits in nicely with the PGA Tour's MO. Sort of like the IOC. Nail a small fish once in a while to make it appear as though you are "doing something," but never really hitting any star. I'll believe this program is what it claims to be a when a star is taken down. Until then, IMHO, this is simply the sports version of the TSA's security theater at the airports.

[KLG]

What Pat said.

[John]

Yeah, it's tough to argue what Pat said, until a big name gets this public shaming and isn't just "out" for a few months due to "insert peculiar injury here."

[CroDad]

@Pat
Spot on. The executives of the Tour are so predictable. Rounds at the US Open take close to 6 hours yet no penalties for slow play. At the Masters the only player to receive a 2 shot penalty for slow play is a 14 year old Chinese kid.

On a different note.....has anybody ever tried playing while juiced on something illegal? Here's my experience: was playing in a State Am a few years back and had had a series of epidurals on my back as the MRI looks like....according to my neurosurgeon...."a grenade went off in it." So I was prescribed some OxyContin. On the rane my back was in full mutiny so I popped one and by the 1st tee I had no pain nor any care in the world. First tee shot was hooked so badly it made Ian Baker-Finch's opening drive at St. Andrews pale in comparison.

When I was playing competitively in college my best friend and I decided to smoke some weed before a match. OK...not just some but a shtiton. On the 3rd hole I froze over a 20 foot putt as I realized there was no way in hell I could make it considering: the millions of sand/earth particles between my ball and the hole. The 8 MPH breeze that day....gravitational force. The fact the earth was hurtling through the galaxy at 1000 mph. Defects in the golf ball. My less than stellar physical/mental shape.

Finally my playing partner from Ole Miss said "Ahhhhhh.....you ok??" And with that I lagged to about 8 feet and started laughing uncontrollably. I have no idea what I shot that day but it had to be much closer to 90 than 70.

[FC]

Throw small fish back, and catch big ones.

[KLG]

CroDad, that made me laugh during lunch. Thank you. I played in a "real" event last summer with a guy who had just had a urological intervention that left a temporary stent in place. As he told us, he had a string hanging...well, you get the painful picture. He was on OxyContin, high dose. I saw and heard things I've never experienced on the golf course. He shot somewhere in the high-80s in a 4-ball match and had a blast doing it. He had someone drive him home. Thankfully.

[Jupiter]

He should have quickly consumed a couple of beers. That always puts me an agreeable position for a urine test. It seems to work even better if I just boarded a plane and I'm sitting in a window seat.