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The namesake, historic, brass trophy known as the Ryder Cup won't be the only beaker in hand this fall in Louisville, Ky.
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European Tour commissioner George O'Grady told reporters at this week's BMW PGA Championship in England that he is expecting drug-testing officials to be on site at the Sept. 19-21 event.
Last week, the PGA of America, which will run the Ryder Cup competition this year, announced that tour players should plan on being tested at the PGA Championship in August outside Detroit, making it the first major championship to implement anti-doping measures.
The Ryder Cup is the PGA of America's other signature event. A total of 24 players, featuring many of the top stars from around the globe, make up the two Ryder Cup teams.
"There's facilities in place for drug testing to take part," O'Grady said. "The PGA of America announced last week that they would be the first major to have drug testing; that they would be welcoming the PGA Tour's system and it will be in place for The Ryder Cup. Whether we choose to use it or not hasn't been decided yet. But the drug testing unit will be on site."
O'Grady said it's up to the PGA of America, a separate entity from the PGA Tour, to follow through or merely threaten to test the participating players.
"They are the host running the match, and so within reason, there will be a discussion," O'Grady said. "But it's ultimately the choice of the PGA of America."
A message left with a senior PGA of America official on Wednesday was not immediately returned.
O'Grady's remarks created more questions than answers, ultimately. For instance, if a player tested positive for a banned substance at a glorified exhibition like the Ryder, what penalty would be administered?
Would he lose any match points he'd mustered?
If his team had won, would it forfeit the Ryder Cup?
If it's an American who tests positive, would the PGA Tour, which has nothing to do with the Ryder Cup staging since it's an unofficial event, punish or ban him in acccordance with its own rules?
Would the PGA of America disclose the results of the positive test and identify the player?
The European and PGA tours are set to jointly implement testing in July, with the U.S. circuit rolling out screening at the John Deere Classic the week before the British Open. In other words, there are only six more weeks until the first zipper drops.
