Mcilroy welcomes new move to toughen up drug testing
As Rory Mcilroy delivered an unforgettable drugs rant at the Open last year, declaring that “blood testing needs to happen if golf wants to be seen as a mainstream sport”, it was no surprise to find him applauding the game’s adoption of a more rigorous anti-doping system.
The PGA Tour has revealed that from October it will introduce blood-testing, as well as aligning its list of prohibited substances with that of the World Anti-doping Agency, and it is understood that the European Tour will soon announce that it is following suit.
On the eve of last year’s Open, Mcilroy made the point that he and his colleagues could get away with taking Human Growth Hormone because of the laxity of the testing. And although the PGA Tour confirmed that urine-testing would remain the “predominant method”, there will now, at the very least, be a chance of HGH cheats being caught.
“If we’re not blood testing we’re not doing all we can to make sure golf is a clean sport, so I obviously welcome the news,” Mcilroy said. “I don’t think anyone should be fearful as I don’t think that golf has any sort of drug problem at all.”
A more pertinent factor might be the decision no longer to keep certain player sanctions confidential. Currently the Tour discloses suspensions and fines only for performance-enhancing drugs, not those related to recreational drugs.
Mcilroy made his comments at the Travelers Championship at Connecticut, where he plays in today’s first round. Having missed the cut at the US Open the 28-year-old is desperate to recover form before the Open at Birkdale next month.
However, he admitted that he suspected this season would be difficult before he injured a rib before his first event in January. “I always felt 2017 was going to be a bit of a transitional year, with Nike going out of the equipment business and getting married, moving and changing residences, and all that sort of stuff,” Mcilroy said “I didn’t factor an injury into that as well.
“The first 10 years of my career is nearly over. It’s still got two majors [left] and I’d like to finish it well. But if I look back over my first 10 years as a pro, am I happy with where my career’s at? Yes, I guess. But I definitely feel like in the next 10 years, that I can do better.”
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