PGA Tour Pro Responds To Three-Month Suspension After Taking Banned Substance

PGA Tour pro Byeong Hun An has responded to a three-month suspension handed to him by the PGA Tour for taking a banned substance.

The 32-year-old, who has four professional wins, fell foul of the PGA Tour’s anti-doping policy because of a substance found in an over-the-counter cough medicine available in his native South Korea. That landed him with the suspension, which is retroactive until 31 August, meaning he will be able to return to PGA Tour action from 1 December.

In a response to the news, An took to Instagram Stories with his own statement, which explained the violation came as a result of failing to check the contents of the medication. It begins: “In August, I was suffering from a head cold and cough. As my symptoms worsened, my mother suggested I take a widely available medication from Korea that helped her through a similar ailment.

"I took this medicine without checking its contents first only to later find it contained a substance that is prohibited under the PGA Tour’s anti-doping program.”

An’s statement goes on to state that it was the only time he used the medication and “in no way did I take it to gain a competitive advantage.”

However, An also accepts the blame for the indiscretion. The statement continues: “I regret not being more thorough in my decision-making and take full responsibility for my actions.”

An, who is currently World No.53, has not played since finishing 43rd in the BMW Championship in August. That came after some strong results including a T3 in the Genesis Scottish Open in July and a T2 in the Wyndham Championship at the beginning of August.

By the time An returns, the only remaining event on the PGA Tour’s schedule for the year will be the Grant Thornton Invitational, a mixed-team tournament featuring 16 PGA Tour players and 16 from the LPGA Tour.

That appears to effectively rule him out of PGA Tour action until 2024, and his statement alluded to that. It concludes: “I’d like to thank the PGA Tour for supporting me during this process and look forward to returning to competition in the new year.”

Earlier, the PGA Tour released its own statement announcing the suspension, which began: “The PGA Tour announced today that Byeong Hun An had violated the PGA Tour Anti-Doping Policy and has been suspended for three months, with the suspension being retroactive until August 31, 2023.

“An tested positive for the substance prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) contained in a cough medicine available over-the-counter in his native Korea. He has cooperated fully with the Tour throughout the process and accepts his suspension.”

The statement concludes by stating: “The Tour will have no further comment on the suspension at this time.”