European PGA Tour eyes anti-doping policy

The European PGA Tour - along with other international tours - plans on drawing up an anti-doping policy for its members that could go into effect as early as next year. “There will be testing at some stage but we don’t know when yet because there is an ongoing debate about what list of banned substances should be used,” David Garland, the European Tour’s director of operations, told Reuters. In recent years there has been a growing call from golf’s governing bodies for such a policy to be in place. The LPGA Tour plans to start drug testing next year. …

When players tee it up this week at the PGA Tour’s Memorial at Muirfield Village, the difficulties of the bunkers will again be an issue. Just like last year, tournament officials have announced that Muirfield’s bunkers will feature furrows or “rough raking,” as Jack Nicklaus, the course’s designer, describes it. Last year, the furrows drew a lot of criticism from players, who said they made getting out of bunkers much more difficult. Tournament officials responded that that was the bloody point. …

Speaking of the Memorial, John Daly and David Duval have withdrawn. Both rely primarily on sponsor’s exemptions these days to enter any golf tournament, and they had received such exemptions to Muirfield. Daly cited a shoulder injury that caused him to pull out of the AT&T Classic recently. Duval hasn’t been playing much this year. Instead, he’s been at home in Denver taking care of his children and wife, who is reportedly going through a difficult pregnancy. …

We don’t cover junior golf much, I know, but the Thunderbird International finished up yesterday and reigning US Women’s Amateur Champion Kimberly Kim won the event, posting a three-day score of 67-72-67—206, which was a record for the tournament. In the junior boys division, Arnond Vongvanij of Bradenton, Fla. shot a final round 75 to win the event. …

Over at TravelGolf.com, Chris Baldwin writes a little bit more on the LPGA’s proposed drug testing.