LIV Golfer Used Decongestant for His Cold. It Was a Bad Move

Graeme McDowell was feeling under the weather in June before he stepped out on the greens during a golf event in Nashville, Tennessee, so he used some Vicks nasal spray to help him relieve some of his symptoms. That self-care move has cost him: The Guardian reports that LIV Golf has fined the 2010 US Open champion $125,000 and said he can't take part in next week's Greenbrier event in West Virginia. That's because, according to a statement from the Saudi-backed golf league, McDowell tested positive for levomethamphetamine, a banned substance found in the over-the-counter decongestant, per ESPN.

The outlet notes that McDowell is the first golfer to get hit with disciplinary measures over LIV Golf's anti-doping rules. Results for McDowell and his team, Smash GC, are now also nullified for the Nashville tourney that took place June 21-23. The 45-year-old from Northern Ireland has conceded he messed up by taking the cold med without checking its ingredients. He said in a Sunday social media post that he'd had "severe congestion" making it hard to sleep before the Nashville event, and so he'd picked up the nasal spray without considering whether it contained any banned substances.

"As a professional golfer, I understand the importance of checking all medications," he wrote. "I deeply regret the oversight [and] ... fully accept the sanctions imposed by LIV." He added that he respected the LIV's "thorough and transparent" policy, though he admitted it had made things "particularly challenging for me." McDowell will be eligible to play for LIV Golf once again in September, when the league will make a stop in Illinois. (More Graeme McDowell stories.)