PGA Tour Canada: pro golfer admits to cheating, confesses and apologizes

Ultimately week’s Commissionaires Ottawa Open, a PGA Tour Canada occasion, Justin Doeden famous on his scorecard that he had made a par on the 18th gap, a par-5, as an alternative of the rating he truly made, a double-bogey seven.

The incident occurred on the finish of the second spherical when Doeden was battling to make the lower.

Not solely did Doeden write down the unsuitable rating, however he erased the seven and changed it with a 5, which quickly put him at 3-under for the match and one shot above the lower line, per Monday Q’s Ryan French.

Two gamers who witnessed Doeden’s double-bogey noticed the error on the leaderboard. They then approached match officers in regards to the subject.

Doeden was alleged to be listed at 1-under, one shot under the lower line, as an alternative of 3-under, the rating the leaderboard had recorded.

However when match officers started investigating the incident, Doeden withdrew.

He later took to Twitter to apologize:

“I’m right here to admit of the most important mistake I’ve made in my life thus far,” Doeden stated. “I cheated in golf. This isn’t who I’m. I let my sponsors down. I let my opponents down. I let my household down. I let myself down. I pray in your forgiveness. John 1:9 @acaseofthegolf1”

On the finish of his publish, Doeden tagged French, who covers Monday qualifiers and rising stars among the many PGA Tour’s developmental excursions.

He additionally cited scripture, quoting John 1:9, which reads:

“If we confess our sins, he’s trustworthy and simply to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Purposefully writing down the unsuitable quantity on a scorecard breaches rule 3.3(b). Per the USGA, “If a marker, who’s a participant, knowingly certifies a unsuitable rating for a gap, the marker needs to be disqualified.”

Though Doeden cheated, he nonetheless apologized for the incident—a tough factor to do for anybody who dedicated a wrongdoing.

But, the jury stays out concerning Doeden’s punishment, however a year-long suspension could possibly be in play.

That will harm Doeden’s possibilities to advance inside the varied circuits beneath the PGA Tour umbrella.

His most up-to-date end got here on the PGA Tour Latinoamerica, the place he misplaced in a playoff to eventual winner Chandler Blanchet on the Bupa Tour Championship at PGA Riveria Maya in Mexico.

Doeden, who attended the College of Minnesota, primarily performs on PGA Tour Canada. He has appeared in a single PGA Tour occasion earlier than, the 2020 Puerto Rico Open, however missed the lower.

Jack Milko is a golf workers author for SB Nation’s Enjoying By way of. You may comply with him on Twitter @jack_milko for extra golf protection. Be sure you try @_PlayingThrough too.