Vijay Singh Escapes Drugs Ban

Vijay Singh has been cleared of doping charges by the PGA Tour, despite having admitted to taking a banned substance.

The former world number one and three-time major winner had been using deer antler spray, which contains small amounts of an insulin-like growth factor that can improve heart strength, stamina, joint health, muscle and strength development plus athletic performance.

However, the World Anti-Doping Agency told the PGA Tour that the spray does not contain sufficient quantities to actually break the rules. Therefore, “the Tour deemed it only fair to no longer treat Mr Singh’s use as a violation,” said a statement.

Singh had previosuly been quoted in Sports Illustrated saying he used the product “every couple of hours… every day”, but was adamant that at no time was he aware that it may contain a substance that is banned under the PGA Tour anti-doping policy.

After the inital fallout, WADA wrote to the Tour to confirm it no longer considers the use of the spray to be prohibited unless a positive test occurs, and the 50-year-old has never given such a sample.

Moving forward, the Tour has vowed to increase its educational initiatives to remind players of the anti-doping policy, and highlight the risk of using products without fully understanding what they contain.

Since drug testing was introduced in golf in 2008, only one player has been banned when American Doug Barron failed a drugs test at the St Jude Classic in 2009. Barron received medical injections from a doctor, but had previously been denied a medical exemption by the Tour.