Media Advisory on Sir Bob Charles reports

The suggestion that Sir Bob Charleshas violated golf’sdoping protocolsisunfounded. The World Golf Hall of Fame Member has been unfairly linked to the Deer Antler Spray allegations that erupted this week when three-time major champion Vijay Singh admitted to using the spray. The PGA Tour is currently investigating Singh’s use and will make a decision in due course but the following allegations that Charles has used the same product areincorrect. The 76-year-old, who famously won the 1963 Open Championship at Royal Lytham and St Annes, has been a well-known advocate for Deer Velvet Capsulesforapproximately 20 years. Mark O’Connor, the CEO of Deer Industry New Zealand, explained the difference between the two products the Deer Antler Spray and the Deer Velvet Capsules. O’Connor contests all of the accusations towards Sir Bob and explained that the IGF 1 in Deer Velvet, when taken in a capsule form, is miniscule the equivalent of the IGF1 in a 200ml glass of milk. Mark O’Connor: Comments on deer velvet’s link with IGF-1: · Deer velvet is not a banned substance. Deer Velvet is a natural product with a long history of legitimate use. · IGF-1 is a substance banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency and the US PGA Tour. · Deer velvet does contain IGF-I, but at very low levels. IGF-1 is a naturally occurring substance found in manyfood products including milk and meat also at low levels. · For example, a person drinking a 200ml glass of low fat milk would ingest more IGF-1 than a person consuming a fairly large dose of velvet (1,000mg). Also the chances of IGF-1 surviving the stomach environment unmodified or denatured is very low. · A US company called S.W.A.T.S has reportedly refined deer velvet to concentrate IGF-1. This changes the material from deer velvet (which is not banned) to an IGF-1 product (which is banned). · Further, the S.W.A.T.S IGF-1 product does not appear to be approved as a pharmaceutical product, but it appears to Deer Industry New Zealand that its form of administration (sub-lingual spray[1]) means the product should not be considered a dietary supplement. [1]literally ‘under the tongue’, from Latin, refers to the pharmacological route of administration by which drugs diffuse into the blood through tissues under the tongue bypassing the gastrointestinal system which breaks down proteins and polypeptides (such as IGF-1) into amino acids and small peptides. Sir Bob Charles · Sir Bob has unequivocally stated that he did not consume the so-called deerantler spray. He has taken a moderate dose of natural, freeze-dried deer velvet in capsule formfor many years as a dietary supplement. · Sir Bob has been a committed advocate of deer velvet coupled with sport and a healthy lifestyle for many years. Sir Bob’s impeccable reputation should not be tainted bya different product.