LPGA Drug Testing

In November 2006, the LPGA announced it will be begin drug testing on all LPGA members beginning in 2008. Here is their official release. http://www.lpga.com/content_1.aspx?mid=2&pid=8891 Annika and Tiger have already stated that they would welcome the policy. Of course, everyone in professional golf says they can't believe that any golfers are currently using drugs. Why would this sport be any different than the others? It seems that almost every day there is an article about athletes being busted for drug use. The PGA does not and has no plans to do drug testing.

In the past, the image of a professional golfer was one of a sedate and genteel manner. This image has been changing over the years. We now see John Daly smoking and Natalie Gulbis posing in a swimsuit. PGA members have been heard talking about drinking beer after the tournament. They are people just like us. They are not perfect.

I think they need to step down from that pedestal and realize that in this day and age, drugs are a reality. If the LPGA and the PGA did a suprise drug screening today, how many of them would test positive? A report just released by the government, http://oas.samhsa.gov/2k6/metro/metro.htm, states, "In the Nation as a whole, an annual average of 8.1 percent of persons aged 12 or older reported past month illicit drug use during the combined years of 2002 to 2005." I guess professional golfers don't live in "the Nation as a whole". I think they live in a fantasy world.