A Scottish golfer has been handed a five-year ban after he dropped a ball and pretended he had hit it from the tee at an amateur golf game.
Craig Surgeon, who has represented the Lothian region, broke one of golf’s most well-known rules while competing to qualify for The Lothians Golf Association (LGA) amateur championship in July.
The LGA has issued him a blanket ban on competing in their competitions for two years following a two-month investigation.
If he breaks their rules at any point before 2031 then a full five-year ban will be invoked.
Surgeon dropped a ball at the 18th hole in an attempt to trick officials at Kingsknowe Golf Club’s 129-year-old Turnhouse course in Edinburgh.
He said the ball was a provisional – a second shot played from the tee when the first shot sends the ball out of bounds. This meant Surgeon could skip a difficult swing from the tee and put himself ahead of his two opponents.
His fellow golfers spotted him drop the ball and Surgeon then owned up and disqualified himself from the competition when the match ended.
Surgeon posted a confession on social media and said he accepted the verdict.
The Lothians Golf Association (LGA) has punished Craig Surgeon with a two-year ban for cheating
‘It was me,’ he said. ‘I DQ’d [disqualified] myself and I have owned up and am facing the consequences. Everyone knows, it’s no secret.
‘Again to everyone I am sorry and it’s something I’ve got to live with moving forward,’ he added.
David Doig, secretary of LGA, said the incident was the first of its kind at LGA, which runs 68 clubs in and around Edinburgh.
‘The player admitted his error. We feel that it’s our duty to uphold the rules of the game and the integrity of the game so we took a decision to impose the suspension on the basis of that,’ he said.
Amateur golf tournaments rely on players calling out rule breaking and self-disqualification is considered the bare minimum from players. Higher levels of golf use video reviews and shot-tracking cameras.
LGA said: ‘Following an incident that occurred during the qualifying rounds of the Lothians Amateur Championship in July, the Association investigated one player’s actions. As a result of these investigations and the information available, they have now concluded that investigation.
‘Subsequently, a player has been suspended from entering all Lothians Golf Association events for a period of five years, with the last three years suspended.’
