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The PGA Tour has made some significant changes to its anti-doping policy, which will come into effect in October at the start of the 2017-18 season.
For the first time, the tour will do blood testing and is also bringing its list of banned substances in line with the World Anti-Doping Association. The move comes just a couple of weeks after it was confirmed golf will retain its place in the Olympic Games beyond Tokyo 2020.
Blood testing will allow the tour to detect any use of human growth hormone (HGH), which is on the list of banned substances but cannot be detected through urine.
Urine testing is the PGA Tour’s current method for drug-testing and it still plans to use urine samples for the vast majority of its tests next 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 changes 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,” PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan told GolfChannel.com.
Another interesting change is that the PGA Tour will now publicly reveal any players who are suspended for drug abuse. The tour will issue a statement ‘once an adjudication process is completed’ detailing the player’s name, length of suspension and whetherthe violation came from a performance-enhancing drug or a “drug of abuse.”
Previously, only those who had been suspended for using performance-enhancing drugs were named.
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