Golfer Doug Barron asks court to overturn doping ban.

Golfer Doug Barron has filed a lawsuit against the PGA Tour after they suspended him over a doping offence. Barron asked a court in Tennessee to lift his 12-month ban, saying the suspension was unfair and he had been defamed.

The PGA did not name the drug but Barron revealed he had been using beta-blockers, prescribed for him by a doctor to treat a heart problem. Barron also said he had been prescribed testosterone because he had an abnormally low level of the hormone, comparable to that of an 80-year-old man.

Barron said he could not be banned based on his disability, arguing that the PGA Tour's anti-doping program was unfair because it included common medications.

Barron cited the 2001 case of golfer Casey Martin, who went to the U.S. Supreme Court to win the right to use a golf cart on the tour due to a disability. Barron's case was presented to a local court in Memphis but was then transferred to a federal court.

The PGA Tour, in its reply to Barron's suit, said its anti-doping policy followed standard protocols that do not allow for exemptions for players with low testosterone levels.

Golfer Doug Barron is 1st to violate PGA Tour drug policy.

"Doug Barron, a 40-year-old journeyman who lost his tour card three years ago, became the first player to be suspended by the PGA Tour for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.

Barron was immediately suspended for one year, the PGA Tour said Monday. He played eight full seasons on the tour, with his best finish a tie for third at the Byron Nelson Championship in 2006.

"I would like to apologize for any negative perception of the tour of its players resulting from my suspension," Barron said in a statement released by the tour. "I want my fellow tour members and the fans to know that I did not intend to gain an unfair competitive advantage or enhance my performance while on tour."

The tour announced the suspension about two hours before the World Golf Hall of Fame induction ceremony. The tour said it would have no further comment, and Barron's agent did not immediately return a call.

Under its doping policy, the tour announces a suspension but does not disclose what substance a player used. The tour did not start random testing until July 2008, which includes its second-tier Nationwide Tour."