Fortunately for the golfing world, hotter heads prevailed, and current world golf figures went off on Gary Player after his random press conference on doping in golf.

PARNEVIK
After his round, Parnevik responded harshly to recent comments from Gary Player, who on Wednesday urged golf to begin random drug testing and said he knew of at least one player who uses performance-enhancing drugs.

“I thought it was stupid,” Parnevik said. “I personally don’t know one person who used them.”

Parnevik, decked out in tight black pants and a black derby he called a “Chicago mob hat,” said steroids wouldn’t help a golfer play better anyway.

“It wouldn’t advantage you at all,” Parnevik said. “Nobody would play better golf. You probably would do a lot worse – your touch would disappear.”

GOOSEN
“I’m actually very shocked at his comments. I don’t know what Gary was trying to prove. I don’t know if he is trying to damage the sport,” Goosen said after his opening round of 70. “He mustn’t come and say ‘I know of 10 guys taking drugs’ and he can’t say what it is. He might as well not have said anything.”

“If he wants to come and make these comments, why doesn’t he name them?” Goosen said. “If he wants to damage the sport by starting to say things like that then he must come out and say it. He mustn’t make these half comments.”

McGINLEY
“Bring it on,” McGinley said. “I have nothing to hide. I can honestly say, hand on heart, I don’t know of anybody who does or anybody who’s ever talked about it. [Player] obviously knows something that nobody else knows. Otherwise he wouldn’t have said it. Maybe he should be asked what does he know. Bring it out.”

ELS
Another countryman, Ernie Els, seemed dumbfounded by Player’s statements.

“If there is anyone taking anything illegal, we’ll only know by a random test. I’m not sure where he gets his information,” Els said.

“I mean, I take Advil for a bad back. And sometimes I take Guinness.”

And finally, a response from the source himself.
PLAYER
“All I thought I was doing was agreeing with everyone, with Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson and the others, who say we should bring in a drug-testing policy,” Player said. “As it stands now, we have no policy in golf. There is nothing to stop anyone from using anything they want to use, whether it’s steroids or human growth hormone or whatever. These drugs are so prevalent in other sports and our sport has no policy against them.

“I’m behind the powers that be on this issue. If they want to bring in testing, I’m all for it. That’s what I was trying to say,” Player said. “I thought I was there to talk about the Open, not to talk about drugs.

“I was asked a question and what am I supposed to do? Lie about it? I believe answered it honestly.”

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