Wayne Grady, chairman of the
Australasian PGA Tour, says golf does not need a drug code,
disputing comments by fellow pro Craig Parry that one is needed to
help curb drug use.
On Thursday, Parry reignited the issue of drugs in the sport,
saying that several top players have won important tournaments in
recent years while using beta-blockers -- pills that steady the
nerves.
Grady, who won the 1990 U.S. PGA Championship, became
Australasian PGA chairman two weeks ago when Jack Newton resigned
after six years.
"It's not in my area of expertise,'' Grady said today. "But
I don't think performance-enhancing drugs would help golfers
anyway.''
Grady said he had never been drug-tested in more than 20 years
as a professional "and I've never known anyone who has.''
Parry said he knows of three players "who have won majors in
the last decade that have been on beta-blockers.''
Five-time British Open champion Peter Thomson said he knew of
only one case of a golfer taking drugs.
"The American Tommy Bolt had a ferocious temper and was prone
to outbursts during a round,'' Thomson said. "So he took valium to
calm himself down.
"I asked him one day how the pills were going and he said
'great. I'm still three-putting but I don't give a damn anymore.' "
Unlike steroids or EPO, beta-blockers are not on the
International Olympic Committee's list of banned substances, but
are classed as a restricted substance.
Beta-blockers are easily detectable in urine tests and have been
for several years. Of the 28 Olympic sports, only shooting and
archery test for it regularly.
Golfer Nick Price has admitted taking beta-blockers for his
health. Their calming effect could help golfers in the closing
stages of a tournament.
