Westwood thinks golf should drug test

2008-03-14

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By Andrew BothPA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

ORLANDO, Florida (Ticker) - Lee Westwood thinks professionalgolf should conduct drug testing, but he wishes the variousorganizations would come to a common consensus about whichsubstances potentially enhance performance and which don''t.

Westwood suspects an American player is more likely to testpositive for a banned substance in Europe than vice versa,because the European Tour has a longer list of bannedsubstances.

For example, Westwood takes salbutamol for his asthmaticcondition. The drug is legal on the PGA Tour, but illegal on theEuropean Tour, which means he has to apply for a "temporary useexemption" in Europe, but not the United States.

"The problem is different tours have different banned substancesand there''s a gray area right in the middle," the Englishmansaid Friday at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

"I can''t understand why everybody can''t get together and haveone list and that be worldwide. Then you won''t get somebodybeing tripped up, because it seems to me somebody''s reputationis going to be really tainted just because of an innocentmistake. I think it''s really ridiculous."

Westwood does not believe there are any drugs that can helpgolfers "too much", although several sports science experts whohave studied the issue would dispute his sweeping assertion.

"(Golf) is not really that physically a demanding sport,compared to sprinting or baseball," he said.

The PGA and European Tours are both scheduled to begin drugtesting on July 1, a couple of weeks before the British Open.

On a lighter note, Westwood observed with relief one drug thatis not on the banned list on either side of the Atlantic.

"As far as I can tell, alcohol is not on the banned list, so I''malright," he said. "If they ban vodka, I''m giving up golf."