rounding his use of deer-antler spray
was cleared to go to trial when New
York Supreme Court Justice Eileen
Bransten ruled Feb. 18 to allow Singh
and his legal team to proceed with two
of the seven claims they have made
against the tour. Two of seven may not
be a high percentage, but for a plaintiff
who was widely criticized for taking
action against the tour, the ruling
represents an early victory.
“The PGA Tour recklessly failed to
do basic scientific tests and to access
resources that would have shown that
the way they disciplined Vijay was not
appropriate,” Singh’s lawyer, Peter
Ginsberg, told Golf World. “Vijay also
has complained that he was treated
differently and more harshly than
other golfers in similar situations.”
According to Ginsberg, those two
claims are the strength of the case
against the PGA Tour. One focuses
on the tour’s alleged lack of research
and study regarding IGF- 1 (the illegal
ingredient in deer-antler spray), and
the tour’s slow response to the removal
of IGF- 1 from the World Anti-Doping
Agency’s list of banned substances.
Also, the tour held in escrow Singh’s
earnings from February to April of 2013,
including those from the AT&T Pebble
Beach National Pro-Am, which was held
before Singh says he was notified of his
suspension. PGA Tour chief global communications officer Ty Votaw said the
tour would not comment on pending litigation, and the tour’s lawyers couldn’t
be reached for comment.
For Singh and his team, the reasons
for legal action may be sounder than
the public initially perceived. But
while they wait for the PGA Tour to
supply information regarding past
anti-doping violations—information
that the tour is certainly hesitant to
part with—the chances of a settlement
begin to seem more likely. —B.M.
PGA TOUR
Few tour events closing
Tuesdays to spectators
�� Two strongholds of the PGA Tour’s
West Coast swing—the Northern
Trust Open and the Farmers Insurance Open—closed gates to spectators
Tuesday of tournament week this
season in an effort to save money, but
most other events aren’t taking similar
measures. Nineteen of 20 directors
of non-WGC events surveyed by Golf
World said their tournaments are committed to remaining open for Tuesday
practice rounds (the Reno-Tahoe Open
is undecided).
Speaking on behalf of tournament
directors for the Riviera and Torrey
Pines events, PGA Tour spokesman Ty
Votaw cited security, transportation
and concessions costs as the issue. For
events that struggle with early-week attendance, saving money can positively
impact charitable donations, added
Votaw. The tour has also implemented
a stricter security policy for this season, an undoubtedly larger expense for
each event.
Tuesdays are typically the practice
day when players, devoid of pro-am
obligations, have the best chance of
interacting freely with spectators.
Exceptions are the Tour Champion-
01Jason Day wins WGC-Accenture Match Play.
His second win was a long time coming—but
you can bet his third won’t be.
02 Runner-up Victor Dubuisson delivers stunning, highlight-film
hat trick of par-saves to extend championship match.
Think Harry Houdini meets Seve Ballesteros.
03 Rickie Fowler ( 18 feet) accepts good-good offer from Sergio
Garcia (six feet) in third round.
Only Sergio could get killed for trying to be
a nice guy.
04 Judge’s ruling keeps Vijay Singh’s suit against the PGA
Tour alive.
Really? All this over deer-antler spray?
05 World Ranking top guns tee it up at Honda Classic.
Otherwise known as: What should have
been the WGC Match Play field.
06 WGC’s annual Akron stop won’t have fan access Tuesday of
tournament week.
Another proud moment in grow-the-game
history.
07 Anna Nordqvist (shown), who weighed quitting in 2013, wins
her first LPGA event since 2009.
Turns out there’s no qvit in Nordqvist.
08 Royal County Down reportedly to host 2015 Irish Open.
A few blind shots but lots of greatness.
09 Padraig Harrington reveals on radio show he has received
treatment for skin cancer.
Take a tip from the three-time major winner:
Get checked.
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John Topeka: Watson bringing in Ray Floyd is a great chance for both
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Frank Imschweiler: All Floyd needs to do is give that stare—they’ll get it
right away.
BUZZWORDS
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