Golfer suspended for betting on PGA Tour events
Matt Gogel is a PGA Tour golfer but did not play in the tournaments that he bet on
Dubai: The PGA Tour announced that Champions player Matt Gogel has been suspended for six months after breaching the Tour’s integrity policy.
Gogel bet on PGA Tour events in which he was not competing, with his suspension running from August 23, 2026, until February 22, 2027.
"In 2024 and 2025, I unknowingly violated the PGA Tour policy by placing small recreational wagers on golf," Gogel released in a statement.
"I want to be clear that these wagers were not placed on regular PGA Tour events, PGA Tour Champions events or any tournament in which I participated.
"I would never knowingly violate the integrity of the game of golf. I made an honest mistake and I look forward to playing in 2027 on the PGA Tour Champions."
Gogel is not the first professional golfer to face punishment for betting on tournaments. In 2023, Korn Ferry Tour players Vince India and Jake Staiano were suspended for six and three months respectively for similar violations.
A year later, the DP World Tour suspended England’s Marco Penge for two months and fined him $2,500 after he was found to have bet on several tournaments.
Gogel has six Korn Ferry Tour victories and one PGA Tour win, with his only PGA Tour title coming at the 2002 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. This season on the PGA Tour Champions, he has played 17 events, recording nine top-20 finishes, including two top-five results.
He is currently 20th on the Charles Schwab Cup money list, with nine tournaments remaining in the 2026 season. The top 36 players will qualify for the Charles Schwab Cup Championship in November.
