Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Adam Schupak

Professional golfer busted for cheating, confesses he did it

Justin Doeden forgot the saying cheaters never win.

The 28-year-old pro on Monday confessed he cheated last week at PGA Tour Canada’s Ottawa Open.

He stood accused of changing his score on the final hole of his second round at Eagle Creek Golf Club from a 7 to a 5 after his card already had been signed by his playing partner. That brazen act meant his incorrect score would be good enough to make the 36-hole cut by one stroke at T-60. It also would have prevented 13 other players from making the cut and deprived them of earning a paycheck for the week.

Ryan French of the Monday Q Info first reported the story.

“At scoring, the player who kept Doeden’s card confirmed his scores and signed it,” French wrote. “Doeden then asked for the card, saying he wanted to double-check some things. Not thinking anything of it, the player handed the card to Doeden and left the scoring area. When he gave it to Doeden, the 18th hole showed a 7.”

Players first noticed something wasn’t right about his 36-hole total of 3-under during lunch and reported it to tournament officials who discovered Doeden’s use of an eraser to change his score. Doeden withdrew from the tournament during the officials’ investigation. He initially did not respond to a request for comment from French.

On Monday, he confessed he cheated in a social media post and asked for forgiveness.

“I am here to confess of the biggest mistake I have made in my life to date,” he wrote. “I cheated in golf. This is not who I am. I let my sponsors down. I let my competitors down. I let my family down. I let myself down. I pray for your forgiveness. John 1:9.”

Doeden, who played collegiately at the University of Minnesota and has competed in one event each on the Korn Ferry and PGA Tours while spending the bulk of his time on PGA Tour Canada and PGA Tour Latinoamerica, likely will be suspended under the Tour’s catch-all of “conduct unbecoming” but we’ll never know.

“Per Tour policy, the matter — and any related disciplinary action — will be handled internally,” a spokesperson for the PGA Tour told the media.

Regardless, Doeden will wear the scarlet letter of being a cheater, and that will be an enormous burden for him to bear.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.