Doug Barron became the first player on the PGA Tour to violate its performance-enhancing drug policy and has been suspended for one year.
Barron, 40, a veteran who played just four times this year on the developmental Nationwide Tour and once on the PGA Tour and failed to make a cut, will begin his suspension immediately -- although his status was in limbo because he was playing the Nationwide Tour this year on a medical exemption.
"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."
It is unclear what substance Barron took or what he did to produce a positive drug test. The tour said it would have no further comment on the matter.
The PGA Tour announced that it would be implementing full-scale anti-doping measures in December 2007, with the program commencing on July 1, 2008.
Since that time, random drug testing has occurred at PGA Tour events, including the major championships, with tests administered by the National Center for Drug Free Sport.
Barron's is the first suspension under the program, but the tour did not announce when the positive test occurred.
Barron's last official event was the Mexico Open on the Nationwide Tour in early September.
His best finish on the Nationwide Tour was a second place on five occasions. On the PGA Tour, his best finish was a tie for third at the EDS Byron Nelson Championship in 2005, a year in which he had two top-10s and earned more than $700,000.
