PGA Deny Dustin Johnson Suspended for Cocaine Use, Golfer on Leave of Absence

The PGA released a statement on Dustin Johnson’s current status on Friday:

With regard to media reports that Dustin Johnson has been been suspended by the PGA TOUR, this is to clarify that Mr. Johnson has taken a voluntary leave of absence and is not under a suspension from the PGA TOUR.

Original Text

It turns out that Dustin Johnson’s problems off the golf course are significantly worse than anyone might have imagined.

Johnson announced Thursday that he was taking a leave of absence from professional golf for personal reasons, and according to a report from Michael Bamberger and Michael Walker of Golf.com, he has been suspended by the PGA Tour for six months after failing a drug test with cocaine in his system:

According to the source, Johnson has failed three drug tests: one for marijuana in 2009 and two for cocaine, in 2012 and 2014. He was previously suspended for the 2012 failed test, but that suspension was never made public. Under the PGA Tour’s drug-testing policies, the Tour is not required to announce any disciplinary actions against players who test positive for recreational drugs.

However, the pair state that the PGA had not commented on the report at the time, and Johnson’s attorney denied the claims of the source:

The PGA Tour released a curt statement wishing Johnson well and saying it looked forward to his return. When asked directly about Johnson’s failed drug tests and suspension, Ty Votaw, executive vice president of the PGA Tour, said Friday that the Tour would have no further comment. …

… The suspension means Johnson, 30, will miss the PGA Championship — the season’s final major takes place next week in Louisville, Ky. — and also the PGA Tour’s lucrative FedEx Cup playoff series. Johnson’s agent, David Winkle of Hambric Sports Management, notified the PGA of America on Thursday that his client will also not be competing in the Ryder Cup in Scotland this September. Earlier this week, when asked if Johnson was about to be suspended by the PGA Tour, Winkle texted an SI reporter, “Don’t believe everything you hear.”

This report comes less than 24 hours after Johnson issued a statement, via Steve DiMeglio of USA Today, that he was taking a leave of absence for personal reasons: