The Sunshine Tour has handed down a sanction against Etienne Bond, who breached its members general regulations by committing an anti-doping rule violation.
The South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS) conducts testing of urine samples on behalf of the Southern Africa PGA Tour, on the Sunshine Tour and Big Easy Tour.
Bond participated during the 2017 season on the Big Easy Tour and failed an anti-doping test for the use of Carvedilol, which is classified as a beta blocker on the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) 2017 prohibited list. Bond’s sample was analysed by the Wada accredited Ghent doping control laboratory in Belgium. As Bond did not have a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) in place for the use of this substance, he admitted guilt and accepted the sanction handed down by the Southern Africa PGA Tour.
In terms of the sanction, Bond was disqualified from 2017 events on the Big Easy Tour, and he was removed from the final order of merit. Bond has also been suspended for a period of 12 months during which he is not eligible to participate in any professional golf events until 2 October 2018.
Bond has been fined an amount of R5000.
Photo: Johan Rynners/Sunshine Tour
