Gavin Green’s career took an abrupt turn after he was caught violating the anti-doping policy. The DP World Tour reacted swiftly after it was found that the 32-year-old tested positive for a banned substance. What began as a routine effort to manage a medical condition has now become a cautionary tale for players relying on over-the-counter remedies.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
The Malaysian pro was caught violating the Tour’s anti-doping policy at the 2025 Danish Golf Championship in August. He was disqualified retrospectively. Now, the DP World Tour revealed in a statement that Green has also been suspended for three months. The curious case is still shrouded in mystery.
DPWT hasn’t revealed any details of the substance in question. But it mentioned that it is found in a herbal supplement, which is sold legally in parts of Asia. However, the European Tour Group, which oversees the tour’s anti-doping framework, determined that the product violated World Anti-Doping Agency standards.
So, even though Gavin Green took it for therapeutic reasons, he will have to face the repercussions. But it’s also not clear why Green took the supplement and whether he was struggling with any health issues. The Malaysian golfer has not made any official statement. Regardless, he has to bear heavy consequences.
The ban, which began on December 5, 2025, sidelines Green from early-season events. Thus, he can only return to the tour on March 5, 2026. He is set to miss around ten tournaments. Notably, he hasn’t appealed the decision. Quite the contrary, actually.
Green has accepted the decision without any protest. “Green has cooperated fully with the Tour throughout the process and accepted the suspension. The Tour will have no further comment on the suspension at this time,” said an official statement by the DP World Tour.
DPWT player Gavin Green gets a 3-month suspension for breaching its Anti-Doping Policy
Green tested positive for a prohibited substance in a herbal supplement, available in Asia, which he took as therapeutic treatment to treat a medical condition
His ban began on December 5
— Matt Chivers (@mgchiversNCG) January 27, 2026
The tour’s Anti-Doping Policy strictly prohibits contaminated supplements, urging players to verify products via certified lists like NSF International’s. Herbal remedies pose high risks due to undeclared prohibited substances. Green, even though he has yet to win on the DP World Tour, was one of the most decorated golfers from his country.
The 33-year-old Malaysian was the first from his country to top the Asian Order of Merit. His only win on the professional circuit came in 2017 on the Asian Tour at the Taiwan Masters. This was also the year he topped the Order of Merit to qualify for the DP World Tour. Since then, he has been playing regularly on the European Tour and has teed off at the Olympics.
In 2025, Green had 30 starts and made the cut in 14 of them. Green had also represented his country in the Olympics thrice. In 2024, he managed a T33. His case, however, adds to a list of reminders about the risks tied to unverified supplements and the strict liability players face under professional golf’s regulatory system.
Top Stories
Gavin Green is not the first player to be suspended for doping
Back in 2009, Doug Barron made history for all the wrong reasons. The American International became the first player to be suspended by the PGA Tour for violating anti-doping policy. Barron received a year-long suspension for taking performance-enhancing drugs. That came just a year after the PGA Tour and the DPWT introduced drug-testing and brought in anti-doping policies.
Of course, the most famous name to get embroiled in a doping scandal is Dustin Johnson. The major winner, reportedly, failed drug tests thrice, one in the very same year as Barron. Once again, in 2012 and 2014, Johnson failed a drug test. While initial reports suggested that the PGA Tour suspended him, the Tour later clarified that DJ took a voluntary break for six months.
Another major winner to find himself in this mess was Vijay Singh. Although in the Fijian’s case, the Tour was left red-faced. The PGA Tour served Vijay Singh a notice of suspension for three months after the major winner said he used deer antler spray, which contained a low amount of IGF-1, a substance banned on the PGA Tour.
Two months later, the Tour dropped the case. However, Singh filed a lawsuit a week later, and the two sides reached an agreement out of court in 2018. Not everyone’s case was similar.
Bhavik Patel had to face a year-long ban as well in 2015 for allegedly using performance-enhancing substances. In fact, An Byeong-hun, who recently joined LIV Golf, was suspended for three months by the PGA Tour in 2023.
Gavin Green’s case once again highlights the tightrope athletes have to walk on. An unforced error can prove to be consequential in the long run.
Related Newsletters
