A rising golf star’s career has almost turned to custard after an ill-advised pudding choice during a Dunedin tournament.
But the young woman, whose name was suppressed by the Sports Tribunal of New Zealand, will be back on the greens after the doping ban was backdated to the start of her suspension in January.
She was, however, stripped of a title.
In November last year, the golfer returned a sample containing the substance ostarine — a selective androgen receptor modulator used to improve muscle mass and bone density.
She accepted the validity of the test but told the tribunal she was stumped as to how it happened.
Sunscreen, makeup, medications and a kiss were all cited as possible answers but, perhaps surprisingly, custard was pegged as the most likely culprit.
The bizarre case centred around the woman’s stay, with a group of other players, at a Dunedin Airbnb in November last year.
On the last two nights of their stay, a bodybuilder — described as "a known user of steroids", and referred to in the decision as "Mr X" — arrived.
Medical professionals told the tribunal for a kiss to transfer the ostarine into the golfer’s system, the other party must have ingested the drug in pill form an hour beforehand.
There was no evidence to that effect.
Other possibilities were similarly ruled out as "implausible".
It had to be the custard.
The bodybuilder had a tub of custard powder on the kitchen bench, which he used in cereal and smoothies.
There was also a custard pudding, made by mixing the powder with milk, that was in the fridge in a plastic bottle.
The golfer told the tribunal she had two spoonfuls of the dessert.
The tribunal, in its written ruling, said the low level of ostarine in her system was consistent with such consumption.
"It is more probable than not, that the custard pudding was contaminated," chairman Judge John Macdonald said.
He also pointed to a suspicious Snapchat exchange in which Mr X appeared anxious to distance himself from the custard.
"We have accepted that the ingestion of the prohibited substance was unintentional, but she was at fault because she failed to ascertain what was in the custard pudding before trying it," Judge Macdonald said.
"She clearly failed to exercise a level of care or personal responsibility that would be expected of an athlete of her standing."
While Drug Free Sport New Zealand pushed for a ban approaching two years, the tribunal assessed her transgression as "a momentary lapse".
Judge Macdonald said the woman appeared determined to achieve her goal of one day becoming a professional golfer.
"She described a serious approach to her diet which did not involve drinking alcohol or using drugs of any kind," Judge Macdonald said.
Golf New Zealand said it would amend the standings of the tournament in which the woman competed in Dunedin to reflect her disqualification.
A spokesman said the sport’s body was "disappointed" by the news but, having effectively served the sentence, the golfer in question was now eligible for selection for national representation.
Drug Free Sport New Zealand chief executive Nick Paterson said the case should serve as a warning to others.
"The most important thing for athletes to remember here is that whether they took a substance intentionally or not, they are always responsible for its presence.
"Every athlete has the right to competition that’s free from the influence of doping," he said. — Additional reporting Hayden Meikle
