Doug Barron, the 40 year old journeyman recently suspended under the PGA’s anti-doping policy, finally has a first to add to his list of accomplishments. He is the first PGA player to be suspended for violating the PGA’s performance enhancing drug policy.

Honestly, I’ve never heard of Doug Barron until the headlines about him being caught using performance enhancing drugs hit the web. Then came the story about Phil Mickelson feeling sorry for the guy. Doug Barron probably wishes Phil and any other headliners would just keep quiet so the story could die a quick death, he could serve his one year suspension, and then go back to playing in relative obscurity.

“I would like to apologize for any negative perception of the tour or its players resulting from my suspension,” Barron said in a statement released by the PGA Tour. “I want my fellow tour members and the fans to know that I did not intend to gain an unfair competitive advantage or enhance my performance while on tour.” Barron, who is currently playing the Nationwide tour on a medical exemption is said to be taking several medications, none of which are performance enhancing. “I don’t believe it,” Rod Pampling said. “Doug Barron? Look at the man. Tell him to take his shirt off and ask anyone, ‘Do you believe he’s on performance-enhancing drugs?’” (Picture below..has his shirt on but you decide whether he looks like he’s taking performance enhancing drugs).

So my question: do you think the PGA, like so many sports leagues, has a performance enhancing drug problem? Do you think there should be the ability to make a case by case decision as to what “performance enhancing drug” actually means?

Post by Michele Minten