Mark Schlabach, ESPN Senior Author
The LIV Golf League has suspended Graeme McDowell for one match and fined him $125,000 for utilizing a nasal decongestant that contained a banned substance, the league introduced Sunday.
A LIV Golf League assertion stated McDowell examined constructive for levomethamphetamine at a match in School Grove, Tennessee, on June 21-23.
“Forward of LIV Nashville, I used to be scuffling with extreme congestion that was affecting my sleep,” McDowell stated in a press release on social media. “In an effort to handle it, I used a generic Vicks nasal decongestant with out realizing it may be on the banned checklist.
“As an expert golfer, I perceive the significance of checking all drugs and the choice to use for a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE). Sadly, I didn’t take the time to do that because of the over-the-counter nature of this medication, and deeply remorse the oversight. I totally settle for the sanctions imposed by LIV.”
pic.twitter.com/y2jwwlndhA
— Graeme McDowell (@Graeme_McDowell) August 11, 2024
McDowell, the 2010 U.S. Open winner, is the primary golfer to be disciplined beneath LIV Golf’s anti-doping coverage.
“LIV’s Anti-Doping coverage is designed to be thorough and clear,” McDowell stated in his assertion. “Not like another excursions, LIV enforces these guidelines rigorously, which made this example notably difficult for me. Nonetheless, I respect the necessity for these guidelines and penalties – they’re important for sustaining the integrity of the game.”
McDowell will miss subsequent week’s match at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. His substitute has but to be named. McDowell might be eligible to return at a match in Bolingbrook, Illinois, on Sept. 13-15.
McDowell tied for forty second within the 54-man area at 1 beneath at LIV Golf Nashville, 18 strokes behind particular person winner Tyrrell Hatton. McDowell’s Smash GC staff, captained by Brooks Koepka, completed twelfth out of 13 squads within the staff competitors.
LIV Golf stated McDowell and Smash GC might be disqualified from that match and their factors and prize cash might be adjusted retroactively.
