From The Fairway
Open at Birkdale will remain a drug-test free zone this year
NO drug-testing will take place
at the Open this July but there
will be a tough stance taken on
slow play - and mobile phones
hidden in sandwiches.
Plans for the championship to
become the first major to enforce
the sport's soon-to-be-introduced
anti-doping policy have been
abandoned by the Royal and Ancient
Club.
Chief executive Peter Dawson
admitted the delay was slightly
unsatisfactory''.
He explained that the Open's
global qualifying system was the
main reason. Events have already
taken place in Asia, South
Africa and Australia and not all
players at the events have had
the same education programme
as in Europe and America.
We played a leading role in the
development of a policy of which
we are very proud,'' stated Dawson.
But it is very important players
understand what it is about
and given that quite a number of
players do not play on the PGA or
European Tours we decided that
there will not be testing at the
Open this year. But we very much
hope and intend to start next
year. If the Open was in October
we would probably be drug-testing
this year.''
On slow play the R&A were
horrified at what they witnessed
at the Masters this month. On the
final day Trevor Immelman and
Brandt Snedeker took five hours
10 minutes to complete 18 holes.
We are concerned about it,''
he commented. It's not just at
major events. It's the effect it has
at grassroots level. We'd like to
look at educating players and penalising
them.''
The introduction of a ban on
mobile telephones last year was
deemed a success and will continue
at Birkdale, hopefully with
no repeat of the incident that saw
one spectator smuggle a phone
through the gates in a sandwich.
It was taken off him, yet he
tried again later in the day with
it in his shoe.
The ban came after Tiger
Woods repeatedly had to back off
shots at Hoylake two years ago.
The world number one will
again be the top attraction, but
fans hoping the R&A will order
him to delay the start of his early
morning practice sessions are almost
certain to be disappointed.
It has become the Woods way
to get out on the links before
spectators are even let in at
6.30am. I know why he does it
and I understand why fans are
disappointed, but I would not anticipate
a change,'' said Dawson
10:53am Wednesday 30th April 2008
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