What is PGA Tour’s Doping policy? Rules explored amid South Korean Golfer’s suspension for 3 months

South Korean professional golfer Byeong Hun 'Ben' An has been suspended from PGA Tour events for three months. The reason is that he violated the tour's anti-doping policy by ingesting a "prohibited substance" in a medication.

The PGA Tour issued a statement regarding the ban but didn't clarify the substance consumed by An, but mentioned that it was contained in a drug that the player acquired in his native country. It is worth noting that the drug in question is sold over the counter in South Korea.

This is not the first time that the PGA Tour has applied its anti-doping policy, so it is good to review what it consists of.

The PGA Tour has an Anti-Doping Manual Program that outlines its policy on the subject. It is divided into eight sections and includes prohibited substances and methods, sanctions, therapeutic use exemptions, a nutrition and health guide for players, the appeals process for players who are disciplined for this reason, and more.

The main point of the handbook is the very long list of substances and methods that are prohibited by the PGA circuit. They are consistent with the postulates of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

The prohibited substances are grouped into anabolic androgenic steroids and other anabolic agents, peptide hormones, growth factors, related substances and mimetics, beta-2 agonists, hormone and metabolic modulators, diuretics and masking agents, stimulants, glucocorticoids, beta-blockers and drugs of abuse. The list itself specifies the exceptions for each case.

As for the prohibited methods, these are the manipulation of blood and blood components, chemical and physical manipulation (of samples), and gene and cell doping.

Penalties for Violating the PGA Tour Anti-Doping Policy

The most important tour based in the United States has established a range of sanctions for those who violate its rules regarding the use of prohibited substances or methods. These sanctions are discretionary, based on the evaluation of each individual case.

Scott Stallings was suspended in 2015 due to a violation of the anti-doping rules (Image via Getty).

These are the established sanctions:

1. Disqualification, including loss of results, points, and prize money from the date the Anti-Doping Rule Violation was found to occur forward.
2. Ineligibility to participate in PGA Tour competitions or other activities for periods of time corresponding to the offense committed. Such periods may range from several months to a lifetime ban.
3. A fine of up to $500,000 (at the Tour's discretion, commensurate with the offense).

To date, there have been seven cases that have made headlines for the use of banned substances on the main American circuit. They are Brad Fritsch, Vijay Singh, Doug Barron, Bhavik Patel, Mark Hensby, Scott Stallings and Robert Garrigus. Not all of them were penalized for these events.

Other cases, such as that of Christiaan Bezuidenhout, have been reported in other circuits.