3 Feb 2013

Deer velvet controversies highlights lack of drug testing in golf

3:02 pm on 3 February 2013

The head of the New Zealand PGA Duncan Simpson says the deer velvet controversy that has hit golf highlights the lack of a drug testing policy for the sport.

Fijian Vijay Singh has admitted using a deer velvet spray which contains a muscle growth hormone called IGF-1 and is on the US PGA's banned drug list.

New Zealand golfing icon Sir Bob Charles has been drawn into the scandal after taking deer velvet for general health for the past 20 years.

Simpson says things will have to move a lot quicker now that golf is an Olympic sport, and the sport's governing bodies will have to set drugs testing guidelines.

He says Sir Bob has not broken any rules.

Sir Bob, who was the first left hander to win a major title when he claimed the 1963 British Open, finished playing regularly on the USPGA in 2010, two years after the PGA introduced a drug testing programme.