31 Jan 2013

Sir Bob admits he probably breached doping rules

9:56 pm on 31 January 2013

New Zealand golfing great Sir Bob Charles admits he probably breached the professional association's drug protocols during his playing career.

Fiji golfer Vijay Singh has admitted to using a deer velvet spray which contains the muscle growth hormone IGF-1 and is banned by all major sports.

Sir Bob Charles.

Sir Bob Charles. Photo: RNZ

The hormone is on the US Professional Golf Association's (PGA) banned drug list and it is investigating the matter.

Sir Bob Charles was the first left-hander to win a major title when he won the British Open in 1963.

He finished playing regularly on the USPGA circuit in 2010, two years after it introduced a drug testing programme, but has played occasional events since.

Sir Bob told Radio New Zealand on Thursday he has been taking deer velvet for general health for the past two decades and admitted that he had probably breached the sport's banned substances policy too, not realising that the product contained growth hormone.

"Very likely. I was totally unaware of illegal substances or whatever you want to call them being in the horn or the antler of the deer. I take one or two deer velvet capsules daily and have been doing so for virtually 20 years or more."

Sir Bob said he would contact his deer velvet suppliers to find out exactly what is in the product but would not be going to the PGA about the matter. Nor would he relinquish any titles - the last of which he won on the senior Champions Tour in 2010.

Drug Free Sport New Zealand chief executive Graham Steel says IGF-1 occurs naturally in deer velvet.