Tour pro responds after being slapped with five-month ban for breaking golf rule

A European golfer has been suspended for five months on the HotelPlanner Tour after a "reckless infringement of the rules of golf". 

Switzerland's Cedric Gugler was disqualified after the first round of the Raiffeisenbank Golf Challenge in the Czech Republic. 

The 25-year-old signed for a four-over 75 but was later booted out of the €300,000 tournament.

Rules officials determined he played his ball from the wrong spot on multiple occasions on the greens at Kaskada Golf Resort.

The rules breach was reported by his playing partners. He played alongside Spain's Adri Arnaus and Italy's Aaron Zemer on 12 June. 

An independent disciplinary panel, led by Philip Evans KC, determined that Gugler's conduct was a "serious breach of the Tour's code of behaviour by virtue of a reckless infringement of the rules of golf". 

As a result, the golfer has been suspended for the first 10 events of the HotelPlanner Tour's 2026 season.

The ban rules him out of action for five months. The season begins at the SDC Open in South Africa. 

A European Tour spokesperson confirmed that his suspension will begin on 29 January 2026. 

"He will be permitted to return after the first 10 events have concluded, a date which will be determined once the 2026 HotelPlanner Tour schedule has been finalised and announced," the spokesperson added. 

Cedric Gugler responds to five-month man 

GolfMagic contacted Gugler for comment. 

Hours after the news broke, the golfer gave his version of events on his personal Instagram page. 

Gugler wrote that he regretted the mishap and accepted the ban. 

He said: "As some of you may have heard, I have been suspended by the European Tour for the first ten Hotel Planner Tour tournaments of the upcoming season.

"As an athlete who has played golf since the age of six, and for whom fairness, respect, and sportsmanship have always been top priorities, this is of course a very difficult moment. 

"I have been accused of not marking or replacing my ball correctly on the green during the first round of the Kaskáda Golf Challenge. 

"This is what my playing partners reported to the tournament officials after the round. 

"My mistake was that, during the initial hearing in the tournament office on the same evening, I somewhat carelessly admitted that it might have been possible – out of simple inattentiveness – that the ball was not placed back exactly on the same spot. 

"However, it was never my intention to gain any sort of advantage.

"Unfortunately, this imprecise statement triggered a long and burdensome process, which has now resulted in this decision. 

"I deeply regret this mishap. I accept the decision, and I will use it as motivation to be even more careful in the future – especially when marking and replacing my ball on the greens. 

"Thank you all for your support during this difficult time. Yours, Cedi."

The HotelPlanner Tour (formerly Challenge) is the second tier in men's European golf. 

Many players use it as a place to earn a place on the DP World Tour. 

The season finale, played annually in Mallorca, sees the top 20 players in the order of merit secure promotion to the global tour. 

Gugler teed it up in the final stage of qualifying school earlier in the month, but missed out on a card after finishing 111th in the 156-man field.