Pettersen On Drug Testing In Golf: Clean Sport The Priority

The New York Times' Karen Crouse wonders if golf is ready for Olympic-style drug testing and is if to drive home her point that the answer is a big no, there were discrepancies in when players and administrators expected more demanding testing to begin.

What was not in dispute, however, was Suzann Pettersen's refreshing take compared to so many of her peers who wheel out nonsense about how there is no reason to use performance enhancing drugs in golf.

“The procedure that we’re facing is nothing compared to my fellow Norwegian athletes,” she said. “They have to report their whereabouts 24/7, and if you’re not at the spot you said you were going to be, that’s almost the same as failing a drug test.”

From her perspective, the more stringent testing for the world’s golfers cannot start soon enough. “I know some of the Swedish athletes have joked and said, ‘Why don’t you install a GPS in us, and you’ll know where we are all the time?’ ” she said. “The pressure of always being on top of your schedule can be a pain, but for me, clean sport has always been a top priority.”