By ALEX MYERS
The US PGA Tour has announced a three-month suspension for Robert Garrigus after a failed drug test. Although the tour used the term “drug of abuse”, Garrigus confirmed it was marijuana in a statement of his own.
Garrigus, who overcame drug and alcohol abuse to become a US PGA Tour winner in 2010 and finish T-3 at the 2011 US Open, hasn’t played since missing the cut at last month’s Puerto Rico Open. His best finish during the 2018-’19 season is a T-20 at the Sanderson Farms Championship in October.
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Garrigus is the first PGA Tour pro to be suspended – at least, publicly – for a “drug of abuse”, which the tour defines in its anti-doping manual as “recreational drugs that are often times obtained illegally”. Here was the full statement from the tour:
The PGA Tour announced today that Robert Garrigus has violated the PGA Tour Anti-Doping Program by testing positive for a substance identified as a drug of abuse. In accordance with the PGA Tour Conduct Policy that applies to violations involving drugs of abuse, he has been suspended for a period of three months.
And here’s the statement from Garrigus, which was issued at the same time to complete this well-co-ordinated Friday afternoon announcement:
Garrigus joins a handful of players to be publicly suspended for violating the PGA Tour anti-doping program. Most notably, Vijay Singh was given a three-month suspension in 2013 for admitting to using a banned substance, but wound up having his punishment rescinded. Singh then sued the tour for its handling of his case and eventually settled out of court in November.
