Vijay Singh has not been suspended by the PGA Tour and the case has been dropped, commissioner Tim Finchem said in a news conference Tuesday.
On Jan. 28, Singh, now 50, admitted in a Sports Illustrated article to using deer-antler spray, which contains IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor), a banned substance in all major sports leagues, including the PGA Tour. In a statement at the time, Singh denied knowingly taking the substance.
Though IGF-1 is on the Tour’s banned-substances list, the circuit does not test for either IGF-1 or human growth hormone.
PGA Tour's official statement on Singh decision
Q&A: Finchem's news conference
Vijay Singh: Articles, videos and photos
“The PGA Tour Anti-Doping Policy provides that an admission to the use of a prohibited substances is a violation of the policy even if there is no positive drug test.” Finchem said. “(The World Anti-Doping Agency) clarified that it no longer considers the use of deer-antler spray to be prohibited unless a positive test results.”
WADA then provided this statement to the Tour:
“In relation to your pending IGF-1 matter, it is the position of WADA, in applying the Prohibiting List, that the use of ‘deer antler spray’ (which is known to contain small amounts of IGF-1) is not considered prohibited.”
Said Finchem: “Given WADA’s lead role in interpreting the Prohibited List, the Tour deemed it only fair to no longer treat Mr. Singh’s use of deer-antler spray as a violation of the Tour’s anti-doping program.”
Singh has been allowed to continue playing as the Tour investigated his case, and he is in the field this week at the Wells Fargo Championship. His best finish in eight starts was a tie for 20th at the Sony Open.