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Olympic drug testing coming to PGA Tour in May 2016, says Tim Finchem

By Doug Ferguson
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Olympic drug testing coming to PGA Tour in May 2016, says Tim Finchem

 
SAN DIEGO (AP) – The more stringent process of Olympic drug testing will start May 6, 2016, for players who might be eligible for the U.S. team.
 
PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem said any player who would be eligible on May 6 will have to make themselves available for testing at any time. That process was developed by the International Golf Federation and the World Anti-Doping Agency.
 
A country can have as many as four players at the 2016 games – the first time golf is in the Olympics since 1904 – provided they are within the top 15 in the world ranking. Otherwise, countries can have no more than two players.
 
Each week depending on the ranking, the pool of players can change depending on their world ranking. The testing will go on through the competition.
 
"That list could change, and it could change between the time the pool is set and when the actual field is set," Finchem said Wednesday.
 
He also said drug testing would remain on the PGA Tour even if golf is no longer part of the Olympics after 2020. The International Olympic Committee votes in 2017 to determine whether golf becomes a permanent fixture.
 
"We didn't go to drug testing simply because of the Olympics," Finchem said. "And we didn't go to drug testing because we felt we had a PED problem. We went to drug testing because the perception across the board in sports is that athletes dope. We even had questions raised about our sport. We felt that the image of our sport and our athletes is the No. 1 asset by a big margin. And in our defense we want to be able to demonstrate that our players don't PED use."
 
Two players, Doug Barron and Bhavik Patel on the Web.com Tour, have tested positive in the anti-doping program that began in 2008.
 
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This article was written by Doug Ferguson from The Associated Press and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.