European Tour ready to start drug testing in July

By Tony Jimenez

VIRGINIA WATER (Reuters) - The European Tour is ready to begin drug testing its players in July, chief executive George O'Grady said on Sunday.

"We are almost certain to start the week of the European Open (at the London Club from July 3-6) or maybe it will be the Scottish Open (at Loch Lomond a week later)," O'Grady told reporters at the PGA Championship at Wentworth.

O'Grady said the European Tour was in the same boat as most of the other leading organisations around the world as far as golf's anti-doping policy was concerned.

"(U.S. PGA Tour) Commissioner Tim Finchem, David Fay (of the U.S. Golf Association), Peter Dawson (of the R&A), Carolyn Bivens (of the LPGA Tour) and Alex Armas (of the Ladies European Tour) are all onside and we all effectively have the same policy," he said.

"We are charged with pulling the rest of the world into shape."

Last month the R&A, which governs golf in all countries except the U.S. and Mexico, said it had shelved plans to bring in drug testing for the British Open at Royal Birkdale in July.

O'Grady said the first major to test for drugs would be the U.S. PGA Championship in Michigan in August.

"I see they (the PGA of America) are going to do it at the U.S. PGA Championship, the first major to do testing using the PGA Tour's policy," he said.