Doug Barron's one-year suspension from the PGA
Tour came after the golfer tested positive for a beta-blocker and
testosterone, according to court documents.
In documents filed in U.S. District Court in Memphis, it was revealed that the
positive tests came during the St. Jude Classic on June 11.
Barron, the first player to receive a suspension since testing began in July
2008, has sued the PGA Tour in an attempt to lift the ban. The case was being
heard Friday.
Court documents show that Barron had previously sought -- and was denied --
therapeutic use exemptions for propranolol, the beta-blocker, and
testosterone. The exemptions allow players to use prohibited substances on the
basis of their need to treat an illness or condition.
Barron, who has battled injury in a journeyman career on the PGA and
Nationwide Tours, did not dispute the results of his positive tests.
The PGA Tour declared in the court documents that Barron played the St. Jude
Classic "with knowledge that he could not use propranolol or testosterone."
Barron missed the cut in Memphis, his only start on the PGA Tour in 2009.
His suspension was announced November 2. According to its policy, the tour did
not publicly name the substances Barron tested positive for, only that he had
violated the anti-doping rules.
On the same day, Barron released a statement through the PGA Tour to
"apologize for any negative perception of the tour or its players resulting
from my suspension."
"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 said in the statement.
Tour commissioner Tim Finchem had informed Barron 13 days earlier of his
suspension, according to the court documents. Finchem told Barron in a written
decision October 20 that he was banned "based upon his blatant and intentional
use of two different prohibited substances despite the denial of his
therapeutic use exemption application," the documents say.
The 40-year-old Barron did not appeal his suspension, but is now suing to lift
it. The ban is scheduled to run until September 20 of next year.
He hasn't played full-time on the PGA Tour since 2006, when he won $388,226 in
28 starts. Barron played four times on the Nationwide Tour this year without
making a cut.
His last full season on any circuit came in 2008 on the Nationwide Tour, where
he made just five cuts in 17 events and took home $33,446 in prize money.
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