Golf has always prided itself on the honesty and integrity of its players, especially when it comes to scoring and scorecards.
For Justin Doeden this past week at the Commissionaires Ottawa Open at Eagle Creek Golf Club on the PGA Tour Canada, he owned up to his own cheating scandal.
As the PGA Tour Canada’s investigation was ongoing, Doeden took to Twitter to confess to his mistake.
Doeden withdrew from the event after one of his playing partners questioned his score of 3-under par 68 in the second round. Doeden put on his scorecard that he made a par on the par-5 18th hole. However, his partner said he made a seven.
The player questioning the score approached tournament officials, who eventually pulled Doeden’s card. According to the Monday Q Info story, when officials looked at the card, they noticed the 7 made on the 18th had been erased and replaced with a 5.
I am here to confess of the biggest mistake I have made in my life to date. 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 @acaseofthegolf1
— Justin Doeden (@jdoeden11) July 24, 2023
This was according to the Monday Q Info report:
The 18th hole at Eagle Creek Golf Club is a 593-yard par-5 with water all the way down the left side. According to sources, the walking scorer and the two players in the group confirmed that Doeden went for the green in two but hit it in the water fronting the green. After taking a drop, he hit his fourth into the front bunker and missed from about 7 feet for a bogey. He tapped in for 7.
It may not seem like a huge deal, but 1-under par and 3-under par was a big difference this week. Three-under would have meant that Doeden made the cut on the number. Obviously, since his real score was 1-under par, the double bogey on No. 18 meant that Doeden missed the cut.
On the @PGATOURCanada players noticed a scoring error on the leaderboard. They alerted officials
The investigation that followed uncovered an erased scorecard, a 5 that was a 7, angry competitors, and a WD.
A wild (alleged) cheating storyhttps://t.co/27ZtlgRBcU— Monday Q Info (@acaseofthegolf1) July 22, 2023
With Doeden’s WD, the cut line actually moved to 2-under par, allowing 13 players who thought they were going to miss the cut to stay in the tournament and play on the weekend.
According to Monday Q Info, the player keeping Doeden’s card confirmed Doeden’s scores in the scoring area and signed the card with a 7 on the 18th. Doeden then allegedly asked for the card back.
Upon reviewing the matter that afternoon, PGA Tour Canada officials asked Doeden what score he made. Doeden reportedly said a 5. Officials then reached out to the walking scorer and players in the group, who said he made a 7.
It is unclear if Doeden will face any further punishment. Canada’s Stuart Macdonald won the tournament on Sunday.
