A scoring controversy broke out at a PGA Tour Canada event in Ottawa last Friday when a 28-year-old pro was questioned by his playing partners about changing his score on the final hole of the second round.
According to Ryan French, who runs the MondayQInfo Twitter account, Justin Doeden, had a double-bogey 7 on the 18th hole but then allegedly changed his score to par before handing in his card. Here is how it happened:
The report said Doeden was 3-under par on the leaderboard, but his card was signed as having shot a seven on the 18th hole. It would have put Doeden at 1-under par, and he would have missed the cut with that score.
Doeden hit his second shot on the 18th hole into the water. He was hit with a penalty stroke and started on his fourth shot. He completed the hole in seven strokes, but his scorecard reportedly showed a five instead of a seven.
According to Monday Q Info, Doeden’s playing partners saw the final score and alerted tournament officials. They reportedly looked at the card and noticed the seven had been erased and replaced with a five.
That score would have helped him squeak inside the cut. He later withdrew from the event after an investigation began.
Doeden, who played collegiately at Minnesota and has played in one PGA Tour event in his career, admitted Monday that he did in fact cheat:
It will be interesting to see what type of punishment, if any, is handed out following Doeden’s admission.
I for one am proud of him. Not for cheating, hell we all make mistakes. Cheating in Golf, one of the most sacred of all sports, however, is a HUGE no-no. But, as I tell my kids, I will always be more upset if you lie to me about something than the thing itself. It took a lot of courage to come clean. Kudos to Justin for doing the right thing in the end and letting whatever punishment he faces fall into place. That took guts. I hope he learns a valuable lesson from this mishap.
NOW – It’s your turn, my loyal readers, let me ask …
Have you ever cheated on your scorecard?
Let’s hear some stories of when you or your buddy maybe “forgot” about a stroke or two – come on we all golf with “That Guy” and if you don’t know who he is…it may be you! Just Sayin’.
You may not know this but MANY of your favorite PGA pro golfers have bent the rules or used them in their favor. [WATCH THIS 👇👇👇] and see if your favorite golfer made the list – Uh Em – Patrick Reed…
The confessional is open: AND I’ll start – YES, I admit I have – Not really, but I have. I have taken a mulligan on a hole well into a round and played that ball as my first. I then posted that round to my GHIN. So – in effect, I have 100% cheated before.
There I said it. my shoulders feel lighter. Comment below and repent to the golfing gods your on-course infractions. You will feel better my son.
