Gary Player is backing the move for dope testing in golf after claiming that he is certain there are players taking drugs.

Plans are in place for dope testing to be introduced on tours around the world next season and Player, in Carnoustie this week to see the Open's return to the course on which he won in 1968, made it clear he thinks it cannot come soon enough.

"I know for a fact - that there are golfers, whether it's HGH (human growth hormone), creatine or steroids, that are doing it," the 71-year-old said. "And the greatest thing that the R&A (Royal and Ancient Club), the USGA (United States Golf Association) and the PGA (Professional Golfers' Association) can do is have tests at random. It's absolutely essential that we do that. We're dreaming if we think it's not going to come into golf."

Asked what he thought the number of drug users was in golf, Player said: "I would say there's ten guys taking something. I might be way out - definitely not going to be lower, but might be a hell of a lot more. And I'm delighted to see that they're going to start having tests at random, if that's what they officially have decided."

Questioned on how we knew "for a fact" that there are drug cheats in golf the three-time Open champion said: "Because one guy told me. One guy told me and I took an oath prior to him telling me and he told me and I won't tell you where, but he told me what he did and I could see this massive change in him. And then somebody else told me something that I also promised I wouldn't tell that verified others had done it."

Peter Dawson, chief executive of the Royal and Ancient Club, responded to Player's comments. "Whether or not golfers are taking drugs is a question to which I don't know the answer," he said. "I read some comments by Tiger Woods earlier this week where he didn't think people were taking drugs.

"Either way we do support random testing, as we've said many times. We are working closely with the tours around the world to achieve the introduction of a uniform drug-testing policy. Those discussions, I'm pleased to say, are at a pretty advanced stage.

"It is really a 52 week-a-year occupation, not something that a one week a year event can have a material effect on. So the Open Championship will fall into line with whatever drug-testing regimen becomes the norm in professional golf and we will do so gladly because I think it's important that golf demonstrates that it is clean - or, if it is not, identifies it and does something about it."

The R&A conducted testing at last year's world amateur team championships in South Africa. There were no positive findings.

Four years ago at the French Open the government there decided to test some players on the final day. France's Marc Farry sample was found to contained the banned steroid prednisolone, an anti-inflammatory not considered performance-enhancing. He was subsequently exonerated because it was prescribed by a doctor to combat a wrist injury.