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PGA Tour suspends Bhavik Patel for violating Anti-Doping Policy


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  • Moderator
Posted

http://www.golfchannel.com/news/golf-central-blog/patel-violates-tours-ped-policy-suspended-year/

Quote:

The PGA Tour announced Wednesday that third-year pro Bhavik Patel has been suspended for a year after violating the Tour’s anti-doping policy.\

In a statement, Patel, 24, said that he made a “lapse of judgment” regarding the use of performance-enhancing substances. He is eligible to return Oct. 7.

“In an effort to overcome an injury, I made a lapse of judgment,” Patel said. “I regret my decision but have learned from the experience and look forward to returning to competition.”

The Tour did not disclose which substance triggered the positive test.

Patel, who last year finished 114 th on the Web.com Tour money list after making 12 starts, is the second known player to be suspended for the use of PEDs. Doug Barron violated the drug policy in 2009 after testing positive for supplemental testosterone and a beta-blocker, both of which were prescribed by a doctor.

In 2013, Vijay Singh was originally suspended by the PGA Tour after admitting to using deer-antler spray, which contains IGF-1, a banned substance in all major sports leagues. But the Tour reversed its decision after the World Anti-Doping Agency refined its ruling on the use of IGF-1.

The PGA Tour began drug testing in 2008, with penalties ranging from a one-year suspension for a first offense to a lifetime ban if the player is caught three times. The Tour reports penalties for drug-testing violations, but has never disclosed fines or suspensions for such things as conduct unbecoming of a professional.

Like Barron, Patel is relatively unknown to golf fans. He played college golf at Fresno State, where he reached the U.S. Amateur semifinals in 2009 and was a two-time All-Western Athletic Conference selection, but he left school with one semester remaining. After turning pro in fall 2012, he earned his Web.com Tour card via Q-School and has toiled with little success on golf’s developmental circuit. He has never played in a PGA Tour event and is currently No. 971 in the Official World Ranking.

Mike McLoughlin

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  • Administrator
Posted

Who?

Erik J. Barzeski —  I knock a ball. It goes in a gopher hole. 🏌🏼‍♂️
Director of Instruction Golf Evolution • Owner, The Sand Trap .com • AuthorLowest Score Wins
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Posted
Who?

Apparently the drug he was using wasn't of the performance enhancing variety!

In David's bag....

Driver: Titleist 910 D-3;  9.5* Diamana Kai'li
3-Wood: Titleist 910F;  15* Diamana Kai'li
Hybrids: Titleist 910H 19* and 21* Diamana Kai'li
Irons: Titleist 695cb 5-Pw

Wedges: Scratch 51-11 TNC grind, Vokey SM-5's;  56-14 F grind and 60-11 K grind
Putter: Scotty Cameron Kombi S
Ball: ProV1

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  • Administrator
Posted
What does that mean?


Exactly what it sounds like… in a joking way.

"Patel, who last year finished 114th on the Web.com Tour money list after making 12 starts"

Erik J. Barzeski —  I knock a ball. It goes in a gopher hole. 🏌🏼‍♂️
Director of Instruction Golf Evolution • Owner, The Sand Trap .com • AuthorLowest Score Wins
Golf Digest "Best Young Teachers in America" 2016-17 & "Best in State" 2017-20 • WNY Section PGA Teacher of the Year 2019 :edel: :true_linkswear:

Check Out: New Topics | TST Blog | Golf Terms | Instructional Content | Analyzr | LSW | Instructional Droplets

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Posted

I always thought it was kind of odd to do drug testing in golf, besides maybe for things like Adderall that could potentially increase focus (though likely does more harm than good for most that it isn't prescribed to anyway). I don't see a huge advantage in golf to having the muscles of Barry Bonds just because it seems like all that muscle mass would get in the way of proper technique and could potentially slow you down if large muscles were built instead of the fast-twitch ones that are more necessary.

I could be dead wrong, but it seems to me like steroids and other drugs (possibly excluding those that increase focus) wouldn't have a large impact in golf compared to other sports.

On the topic of Bhavik Patel, I guess he was using it to mitigate an injury? He appeared to know what he was doing was wrong, but I wonder how many athletes have accidentally taken a banned substance that may have been prescribed to them and not known it. I've heard there's some pretty weird stuff on the list.

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Posted
Funny, Chris Kirk tweeted a copy of his drug test request, making a joke about how he received it 1 day after tying the course record at Kapalua. Keep gettin after it PGA Tour, I got no problem with testing.

In my Bag: Driver: Titelist 913 D3 9.5 deg. 3W: TaylorMade RBZ 14.5 3H: TaylorMade RBZ 18.5 4I - SW: TaylorMade R7 TP LW: Titelist Vokey 60 Putter: Odyssey 2-Ball

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Posted

Who?

I don't know who he is either, but on the bright side, at least he admitted it and didn't pull a Ryan Braun/R Kelly/Shaggy "It wasn't me" routine.

Take your punishment, learn from it, be smarter, steal underpants, ????, succeed!!!

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  • Moderator
Posted
C'mon guys, how do you not know Bhavik Patel? He's 971st on the OWGR for cryin' out loud! :-P

Bill

“By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.” - Confucius

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Posted
C'mon guys, how do you not know Bhavik Patel? He's 971st on the OWGR for cryin' out loud! :-P

I only track the top 950..... :-D

In David's bag....

Driver: Titleist 910 D-3;  9.5* Diamana Kai'li
3-Wood: Titleist 910F;  15* Diamana Kai'li
Hybrids: Titleist 910H 19* and 21* Diamana Kai'li
Irons: Titleist 695cb 5-Pw

Wedges: Scratch 51-11 TNC grind, Vokey SM-5's;  56-14 F grind and 60-11 K grind
Putter: Scotty Cameron Kombi S
Ball: ProV1

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Note: This thread is 4165 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

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