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ASH, England -- The European Tour's new drug testing policy goes into effect this week, though it was uncertain when golfers would start to be asked for samples.
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Tour officials will not say if any tests will be conducting during this week's European Open, as the players are not meant to be told ahead of time.
"We are going to start slowly," said David Garland, the Tour's director of operations who who is in charge of setting up the program. "We will build up. This year we will do a few tournaments, next year we will increase that so that down the line, everybody eventually will be covered over the next few years."
The policy, which will also apply to the PGA Tour, has been set up after pressure from governments to bring golf into line with other sports. It is also meant to increase the chances for golf becoming an Olympic sport.
"I personally don't think there is a problem (with drugs in golf)," Garland said. "I think it is very interesting that there has been a lot of talk but there have been no names mentioned."
The subject of drugs in golf has been prominent since Gary Player said during last year's British Open that he knew of some players who had taken drugs. He did not specify which players.
"I was slightly shocked by that and in some ways slightly disappointed that he didn't name names if he was so convinced about his convictions," Garland said.
Player education seminars have been held for the past several months in Europe and the United States, and most players from both tours are believed to have attended at least one.
"Our education on this has gone well. I think there are areas that players are concerned about, supplements being one of them," Garland said. "Medicines are regulated, foods are regulated but supplements have a tendency to fall in the middle. I think that is our biggest challenge."
Michele Verroken, the Tour's anti-doping policy adviser, said player response to the program had been "extremely positive."
"Players have been able to raise questions about their medications, traveling and supplements and we have been able to help them find the right answers," she said. "We are prepared to work through maybe something to do with a social drug. Certainly if we do find a performance-enhancing drug, the players I have spoken to clearly would not accept those players back so they want to see punishments."
