Rory McIllory has had an awful lot to say this week. This time he's bemoaned the lack of drug testing in the game of golf, claiming that he could "get away" with doping if he really wanted to.
The world number 4 was speaking ahead of the Open Championship in Scotland, where he is seeking his second Claret Jug. He was again again forced to defend his decision to pull out of the Olympic games first golf tournament since 1903.
But McIlroy criticised the current level of drug testing in the sport, claiming it's not anywhere near as frequent as it should be. Despite pulling out of the Olympic games, the Northern Irishman said that if golf is to be a sport that continues to be played at the Olympics - stricter doping tests must be introduced.
I think blood testing is something that needs to happen in golf just to make sure that it is a clean sport going forward.
I think if golf is in the Olympics and golf wants to be seen as a mainstream sport, it has to get in line with the other sports that test more rigorously.
McIlroy pulled out of the Olympic games due to fears over the Zika virus, which is prominent in Brazil presently - he said he was only tested once in the build up the Rio games, and it was merely a urine sample. He went on to suggest that if he wanted to take performance enhancing drugs, given the climate of current testing - he could get away with it.
I've been tested once this year, but it was only a urine test.
You can't really pick up HGH (human growth hormone) in a urine test, so I could use HGH and get away with.
I don’t know of a banned substance that could help a golfer across the board, with driving, with putting, with concentration” – it’s still too easy for cheaters to beat the system. Human growth hormone, for example, can be detected only via blood testing.
If golf wants to stay in the Olympics and wants to be part of the Olympic movement, it has to get in line with the rest of the sports.
A report from the World Anti-Doping Agency showed that 507 golfers were tested in 2014, with 8 positive tests. McIlroy has never tested positive for any kind of banned substance.
