A pro golfer admitted to making “the biggest mistake” of his life during a PGA Tour Canada tournament last weekend when he cheated to improve his score, ensuring he made the cut for the final round.
Justin Doeden, a 28-year-old from Minnesota, confessed on Monday that he changed his score from a double bogey to a par on the 18th hole of the Ottawa Open. Doeden erased his marked 7 and replaced it with a 5 after his playing partner had already signed the scorecard, placing the golfer within the cut line by one shot and pushing 13 players out of the tournament, Golf.com reported.
“I am here to confess of [sic] the biggest mistake I have made in my life to date. I cheated in golf,” Doeden wrote on Twitter. “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.”
Doeden concluded his tweet with a reference to the Bible verse 1 John 1:9 which states, “If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
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According to Ryan French of Monday Q Info, two players were having lunch Friday when they noticed that Doeden came in at 3-under on the leaderboard, but one of the players who was partnered with Doeden for the round questioned the score when he remembered that Doeden finished with a double bogey, putting him at 1-under. The players notified tournament officials who pulled Doeden’s scorecard and saw that his score of 7 had been erased and replaced with a 5. Doeden withdrew from the tournament as officials investigated his changed scorecard.
Doeden has played in 56 tournaments on PGA Tour Canada and PGA Tour Latinoamerica after turning pro in 2018. When asked if the cheating golfer will face discipline, PGA Tour Canada told Golf.com that “the matter — and any related disciplinary action — will be handled internally.”