The PGA Tour suspended Matt Gogel for six months for betting on golf, it announced Wednesday. Gogel did not bet on tournaments he participated in, but his wagers violated the tour’s Integrity Program, the tour said in a statement.
Gogel said in a statement Wednesday that he placed “small recreational wagers on golf” in 2024 and 2025, and that he did not bet on regular PGA Tour or Champions events. He said he violated the tour’s policy “unknowingly.”
“I would never knowingly violate the integrity of the game of golf,” he said. “I made an honest mistake and I look forward to playing in 2027 on the PGA Tour Champions.”
The tour said Gogel cooperated throughout its process. The 55-year-old, who plays on the PGA Tour Champions, will be suspended through Feb. 22, 2027. He played 178 events on the PGA Tour from 2000 to 2006 and won the 2002 Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
PGA Tour golfers are not restricted from all gambling and are regularly known to make side wagers during practice rounds. The tour’s Integrity Program, however, contains language prohibiting “betting, facilitating or soliciting betting, directly or indirectly, on any aspect of any Professional Golf Event.”
Gogel’s suspension is the latest in a series of betting incidents across sports, as more and more states have legalized sports betting in recent years. The NBA, MLB and NFL have all faced similar controversies. In 2023, the PGA Tour suspended two members of the Korn Ferry Tour for six months for betting on PGA Tour competitions.
