John Daly Comments on PGA Tour's Drug-Testing Policy

John Daly is not pleased with the PGA's drug-testing policy.   

On Tuesday night, the veteran golfer spoke out against what he described as a system that was far from random. When asked about just how random the program was on SiriusXM's Hit It Hard with John Daly, he responded with the following comments, per Michael Collins of ESPN.com:

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"Not at all," Daly told host Patrick Meagher. "I'm gonna play at 1:50 on Friday, so they're [going to] get me about 6:52, 7 o'clock."

"Wait, you're telling me you already know you're gonna get tested?" Meagher replied.

"Oh yeah, this'll be the fifth or sixth year in a row I'm going to get drug tested [at this event]," said Daly, who is scheduled to play the Valspar Championship this weekend. "It's the biggest bulls---, I'm sorry, I'm gonna say it, fine me. I don't care what you do, fix 'em right now, fine me, but I'm tired of it.

"It's not random; it's big a joke. This whole drug testing is a joke."

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Collins followed up with a golfer he described as "A PGA Tour veteran and multiple tournament winner" who remained unnamed in his report. That player said the following:

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You would be surprised how many guys are tested more often [than others]. I refer to this group as the 'safe' guys. We get tested often because we are clean, and it makes testing look frequent and thorough. Total facade. They don't test 'big iffy' guys often at all. Never out of competition either. Testing Daly may seem thorough, but nobody has ever thought he's done anything illegal. Only alcohol, and that's not illegal. ... It is a joke, as JD said. No transparency.

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The PGA Tour responded to the comments and issued its own statement:

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Since its inception in 2008, the PGA TOUR has invested significant resources and money in its anti-doping program and it is widely regarded as the most comprehensive and credible program in professional golf. While our staff has met with John Daly in the past, including within the past year, to review the details of the program, it would appear we need to do so again based on his recent comments. That review included sharing that drug testing on the PGA TOUR is both random and selective. We have also shared with him his own individual testing history.

While it is not our practice to publicly comment on individual testing matters, we reserve the right to correct factually incorrect statements.Contrary to his assertions, John Daly has never been targeted for testing and his claim that players know when they will be tested is simply not true.

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The implications of what both Daly and the anonymous player have said are that the PGA purposefully picks certain players to test regularly, the players know exactly when they'll be tested and other players that might be more likely to fail the test aren't tested.  

It will be interesting to see how the PGA responds to these allegations, if at all. If more PGA professionals and respected veterans come forward and echo Daly's sentiments, the topic is likely to generate even more discussion.   

Daly, 48, has won two majors since turning pro in 1987.