PGA Tour To Test Blood, Announce Drug Related Suspensions

The news of blood testing to more comprehensively test for doping and the decision to announce suspensions for all violation is a fascinating one on many levels. **I elaborate here at Golfweek.com.

(A) It's about time. Golf took too many hits for appearing to protect players. Given the repeated assurances that there would be few violations, those protections seemed particularly unnecessary.

(B) Odd timing. This was probably planned for announcement in anticipation of the IOC's upcoming consideration of golf going forward in the Olympics. That was, until they jumped the gun last week and committed to golf through 2024. Take that WADA!

(C) Odd timing, part 2. The folks at the Travelers, who have assembled a stellar field this year, should not be pleased to have this announcement on their press conference Tuesday.

The full press release:

Anti-Doping Program, which will take effect with the start of the 2017-18 PGA TOUR Season. The revisions, approved by the PGA TOUR Policy Board, include the implementation of blood testing, supplementation of TOUR’s Prohibited List to include all of the substances and methods currently on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List of Substances and Methods, and the reporting of suspensions related to drugs of abuse (recreational drugs).
 
The TOUR will begin a comprehensive education program to ensure that all players understand the changes to the testing procedures, the Prohibited List and the adjudication process in advance of the 2017-18 season.
 
“While we are extremely pleased with the implementation and results of the PGA TOUR Anti-Doping Program to date, we believe that these changes to our program are prudent in that they further our objectives of protecting the well-being of our members and better substantiate the integrity of golf as a clean sport,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan.
 
Blood Testing

Blood testing will be added to the Anti-Doping Program as one of the TOUR’s regular testing protocols, beginning next season. Urine testing will continue to be the predominant method.
 
While the vast majority of the substances on the Prohibited List are best detected through urine testing, there are some, like Human Growth Hormone, that are only detectable through blood. To date, the PGA TOUR has not implemented blood testing, although those substances have been prohibited. The scientific community has made substantial advancements with the creation of new detection methods, which have been successfully implemented throughout the world of sport. In addition, golfers who competed in the Olympic Games underwent blood testing with no issues.
 
Prohibited List
The PGA TOUR Prohibited List will include all of the banned substances and methods from the current WADA Prohibited List of Substances and Methods and be reviewed annually, by calendar year, to determine what (if any) changes TOUR deems advisable to make to the PGA TOUR Prohibited List based upon any changes to the WADA List.

Since the inception of the Program, the PGA TOUR Prohibited List has differed slightly from the WADA Prohibited List, primarily in three categories: asthma medications; allergy and anti-inflammatory medications, such as corticosteroids; and pseudoephedrine over a designated threshold level. Although not a signatory to the WADA Code and not required to consult with WADA on the TOUR Prohibited List, given the global nature of professional golf, consistency with the WADA list ensures professional golfers need to comply with just one list in competition around the world as well as in Olympic competition.

The TOUR has maintained a comprehensive Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) program, which enables players with legitimate medical conditions to use prohibited substances as prescribed by their physicians and under the advisement of the TUE Committee. The application, review and monitoring of TUEs has been successfully functioning since 2008, and the addition of three new categories of medication will be implemented for the TUE program beginning with the 2017-18 season.
 
Reporting

Reporting of suspensions related to violations of the Program for performance enhancing substances have been part of the TOUR’s protocol since the inception of the Anti-Doping Program in 2008. Beginning with the 2017-18 PGA TOUR Season, suspensions related to violations of the Program, whether for performance enhancing substances or drugs of abuse, will be reported publicly. Once the adjudication process has been completed, the TOUR will issue a statement containing the name of the player, the fact that a violation for either a performance enhancing substance or a drug of abuse has occurred and the length of the suspension.
 
Currently, violations for drugs of abuse are handled under the PGA TOUR Tournament Regulations as Conduct Unbecoming a Professional. Disciplinary matters related to Conduct Unbecoming a Professional are not reported to the public; thus, violations related to drugs of abuse have been treated confidentially.

Comments

[jjshaka]

The hits just keep on coming for Tiger.
In all seriousness, good for golf to crackdown on cheats.
Now about the ball and equipment.

[crodad]

Based on personal experience, I don't know how any sort of substance helps with golf at a competitive level (NCAA, State Amateurs). Here is my laundry list of substances and their effect on the body. All these were consumed before a competitive match.

Alcohol - Lost all touch but didn't give a shit.

Weed - Forget about it. Laughed at doubles and then, a few holes later, became paralyzed standing over a 12 foot putt, thinking to myself, "How in God's name can anyone ever make this putt? What with the grain, wind, millions of sand particles between my ball and that hole, my infallibility and the world being hurtled through the universe at a thousand miles an hour......Only to have a playing partner say, after apparently quite a bit of time had lapsed, "Ahhhh....you ok?"

Painkillers - See alcohol, absent the number of leaks.

Acid - Forget it.

Is the PGA talking about Beta Blockers? Steroids? HGH?

[Pops]

My golly, crodad, the sacrifices one makes for the game...I assume these were not all during the same round??

[Jupiter]

@Crodad... we have an opening in our foursome this weekend. Things have been getting a little boring lately and I want you in my cart.

And on a serious note I hope they test for it all.

I mentioned on here that Tiger entered rehab last week and wished him well during his recovery and my post got deleted? Not sure why. I do hope he can pull himself back together but it would seem that this basically puts the final nails in the coffin for him.

[Ghost of Walter Hagen]

Independent contractors? Which players on the policy board sign off on the television rights fees, and PGA Tour liscensing trade mark agreements? The correct answer, none! This is an organization of cheats, that never post a score. Who is policing the police? If the PGA Tour were serious about their organization they wouldn't be the only major sport in America that does not compete under their own rules. The NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, ATP, even the PBA, do not allow a third party to create the rules of competition for them as the Tour relies on the USGA. How ridiculous in this era of Sport, television, and marketing, to be tethered to something that dictates to your organization as to how you will conduct competitions. Can you imagine the mafia running the US Government, ludicrous! The easy, simple solution to all this is to go back to the three piece Tour Balata golf balls, where John Daly was thirty yards longer than Corey Pavin, not sixty five yards longer. Geoff, can you que up the Phil Mickelson article with his quote: "there is an exponential distance gain with the new ball the harder you swing"? It's not crystal clear what's going on down in Ponte Vedra, which is very interesting because it's a non profit. One would think that they would be in favor of avoiding all these extra expenses, while pushing Player retirement funds to a great extent. Why waste money when you don't have to.

[Ghost of Walter Hagen]

If you could find that Golf Digest article it would helpful, in his own words, coming from him. In the meantime, this will suffice....

http://www.geoffshackelford.com/homepage/2011/11/30/pga-tour-driving-distance-over-the-decades.html

[The O]

This is a good thing, honestly. First, it ends the rampant speculation. Did DJ really get a suspension for cocaine, or was that idle gossip? Also ensures some fairness across positive tests.

As for whether these things actually help golf? Steroids can help you increase muscle size and we've all seen how the power game has been growing. They help recover from injury. Are strength and freedom from injury the only requirements to be good at golf? Of course not, anymore than those two things make you a MLB starter automatically.

My sense is the number of guys who use "performance enhancers" in the classic sense is pretty low, but not zero. I also get the sense there are more, but still not many, recreational users of narcotics that are banned by WADA.

[NORD]

No sport should test for drugs of "abuse". Especially when many sports have huge sponsorship deals with alcohol brands. ALL drugs should be legal, not just the ones approved of by the majority. What you want to put into your body should be a personal decision.

[Prairiegolfer]

any of this due to a pending decision with Vijay Singh's case ?? SOunds like PGA Tore is trying to get out ahead of both IOC issues and a pending court rulling

[D. maculata]

The mafia (Deep State) has been running the US Government ya twit.

[crodad]

@Pops Not all during the same round but usually 2 were ingested during the same round, with the exception of that time on the Big A, during which I partook in 3 of the aforementioned vices.

@Jupiter Would love to join you and your crew but alas, after a serious of surgeries, I gave up the game and, for that matter, alcohol and drugs. Now it's fly fishing, yoga, lemonade and ibuprofen.

[Paul]

Had a sense new Commish knew he had to get with the times and get better and more transparent doping program.

I'd guess infractions will be small but in a game of big money and bigger bodies of late, wouldn't be surprised to see some HGH/PED abusers.

[TLB]

Xanax....any one? Very popular with many golfers.

[The Ghost of Perry Maxwell]

xanax is popular with golfers? haven't heard that, to me it was like an ambian light

[KG]

I agree with Prairiegolfer that this is a response to the Vijay lawsuit to try and comply with best practises and avoid further issues. Vijay's lawsuit will likely expose the Tour's testing protocol and penalties as a joke. You may not agree with the WADA standard but it's what the Olympics use and is widely considered the best testing protocol. I tend to believe that with the money available some players will be more than tempted to try to gain an edge or remain on the Tour for a few more years. Not many but some.
Have not checked WADA lately but is marijuana still on the list? Legal is some states now.

[DrBunsenHoneydew]

A) I care about doping in baseball. In golf I couldn't care less. Doping isn't going to help your touch. The real problem which they continue to ignore is that every single piece of equipment they use out there is juiced.
B) The timing makes sense: it's the end of Tiger's career. Had they cracked down earlier and nailed him on multiple occasions it would've hurt their pocket books.
C) Golfers are independent contractors. If they are using recreational drugs they aren't hurting a team/franchise. Hopefully those types of substances are not included as part of testing because that's really none of the tour's business.

[Al]

if a guy tests positive for cocaine, weed, etc., just let me know in time to get a bet down.

[Adamup]

Any prescription drug, the players will have prescriptions. My guess is Adderall is the #1 abused, but nobody will be 'busted' for it. The reasoning behind this could be for any number of things, but it will only bust players for Cocaine, Marijuana, and Beta Blockers/PEDs. Robert Garrigus admitted a couple of years ago that players smoked pot in the porta pottys during their round. I'm sure it isn't only happening on the Nationwide Tour.

[Jupiter]

@Adamup... smoking pot in the porta pottys was simply to freshen the air.

@DrHoneydew... I agree that this testing plan should signal the end of Tiger's career.

[Couples]

So Annika just canceled her comeback ... shame Vijay and Tiger got hooked on hitting 2,000 balls a day and needed the juice to continue it
But really let them take this stuff at their own risk , it's their lives

[Ted B. (Charging Rhino)]

Asking since I'm curious but have limited information;

1. From the little I've read and heard, the WADA protocols are fairly-intrusive into the Athletes privacy, and tracks their movements 24/7/365. How is their personal privacy and freedom of movement protected?

2. Is the Athlete's personal health compromised by the WADA proptocols in maintaining their health and seeking appropriate medical attention? Are their personal and family medical records and history now grist-for-the-Public Mill?

3. Are they blocked by the WADA protocols from life-saving medical treatments?