Testing for drugs is coming

[0utrider]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl.../SPR0UKIGD.DTL

(01-24) 04:00 PST San Diego -- Charles Howell stood on the edge of the practice green at Torrey Pines, in earnest conversation with two friends. Under one arm, Howell held a 39-page, soft-cover booklet with a notable title: "Anti-Doping Program Manual."
Drug testing arrives on the PGA Tour this year, and the uneasy process began this week at the Buick Invitational. Nearly all of the 156 players in the field attended one of two anti-doping meetings Tuesday as Commissioner Tim Finchem and program officials outlined the road ahead.
The program starts July 1. Players will be randomly tested for substances ranging from steroids and stimulants to recreational drugs such as cocaine and marijuana.
For performance-enhancing drugs, the penalty for a first offense will be up to a one-year suspension, with a maximum five-year suspension for a second offense and potentially a lifetime ban for a third offense. Finchem will decide on the penalties for so-called "drugs of abuse."
"In this day and age in sports, it's probably necessary," Howell said. "I think the main thing is to avoid accidents. That's the main gist right now, just to have players educated on what the rules state and to evaluate what you're taking."
Howell took a more civilized stance than some of his colleagues. One player described Tuesday's afternoon session as "volatile," with some players apparently interrupting program officials with skeptical, confrontational questions.
The most visible player of all, Tiger Woods, again endorsed the tour's decision to launch drug testing. Woods said he was not troubled by the possibility of drug-testing officials knocking on his door at home during the offseason to demand a urine sample.
"We're heading in the right direction of proving our sport is clean," Woods said Wednesday.
Many golfers insisted performance-enhancing drugs are not a problem on the tour, even if Hall of Famer Gary Player caused a stir by saying in July, "Whether it's HGH, creatine or steroids, I know for a fact that some golfers are doing it."
The PGA Tour has never had a drug-testing program, so it's impossible to substantiate or refute Player's statement. But with enormous prize money at stake ($278 million this year) and no drug testing in place until now, it's hard to dispute the temptation to use performance-enhancing drugs.
"Golf is an athletic sport, so there's going to be a temptation to do whatever you can to make your body better," longtime tour pro Jeff Maggert said. "But physical talent is only a small percentage of what it takes to be successful in golf."
The game does have some history on these matters. In 1994, Mac O'Grady claimed many of the world's top players were using beta blockers - prescription drugs that slow the heart rate and calm nerves - and Craig Parry suggested in 2000 that three players who won majors the previous decade did so with the help of beta blockers.
Beta blockers, which are commonly used to treat high blood pressure, are among the substances prohibited under the tour's program.