International golf’s antidoping watchdog laid out mountainous evidence that for months senior golfers have been taking Sildenafil, otherwise known as Viagra, on the PGA Champions Tour. The findings intensified pressure on the PGA to reassess their drug testing standards and penalize golfers who take performance enhancing drugs.
The evidence, published by the Golf Anti-Doping Agency, found that over a dozen golfers started taking Viagra once they learned they could achieve longer distances on their drives. The drug acts as a stimulant or as a “pick me up” when performance is flagging.
Viagra greatly increases blood flow to all the major parts of the body. Blood vessels dilate like when the body is under stress or exercising. For senior golfers, taking Viagra retrains blood vessels to respond like a healthy 25-year-old PGA Tour champ.
The World Anti-Doping Agency suggests that the full extent of the craze might not be known.
The names of the implicated athletes were not released to the public, but their identities have been privately shared with relevant PGA officials.
All urine samples retained from the PGA Champions Tour is being re-examined, along with those from the previous year.
There will be pressure on sports officials to rule which PGA Champions Tour professionals can compete next year after the urine testing is done.