Last week, a PGA Tour Canada event in Ottawa became the center of controversy after a competing golfer was caught trying to cheat. First reported by Ryan French on MondayQ, the incident has now gained significant traction in the golf community.

With the Tour currently reviewing the scandalous act to determine the appropriate punishment, the accused player took to social media on Monday to share his side of the story, inciting irate reactions from fans. Let’s jump in to find out more!

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Golf pro admits to his mistakes following cheating accusations

On Friday, the second round of the Commissionaires Ottawa Open was underway when two players noticed a discrepancy in the score of 28-year-old Justin Doeden, who was listed at 3-under on the leaderboard. One of the two golfers had played with Doeden and had witnessed him make a double bogey 7 on No. 18 to finish 1-under and outside the cutline.

At scoring, the player who kept Doeden’s card confirmed his score and signed it. Doeden then asked for it under the disguise of wanting to ascertain certain things. When the player handed over the card, the 18th hole reflected a 7. However, after officials looked into Doeden’s scorecard, they realized that the 7 had actually been replaced with a 5.

When asked about it, Doeden said that he had made a 5, while the waking scorer and his playing partners stressed that it was a 7. Days after the incident, Doeden has now changed his side of the story and has confessed to cheating at the tournament.

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“I am here to confess of the biggest mistake I have made in my life to date,” he wrote in a tweet. “I cheated in golf.” He further issued an apology to his competitors and sponsors for letting them down. “I pray for your forgiveness. John 1:9,” wrote Doeden.

Earlier, the golfer had withdrawn from the Ottawa event following the scrutiny surrounding his score. While the jury is still out on the kind of punishment he will be receiving for his actions, fans on Twitter took a more firm approach to the matter.

Confession or admission once outed? Debate rages on

After Justin Doeden referred to his actions as the “biggest mistake” of his career, fans were split on how to react to the apology. It seems like many of them aren’t too keen on forgiving the ex-University of Minnesota player.

On PGA Tour Canada, the top 60 players and ties make the cut. Had Doeden’s erroneous ways not been caught, he would have made the cut. Meanwhile, 13 other players would have been T-61 and missed the last two rounds of the event. “He could have affected my career,” one golfer who finished at 2-under had said regarding the entire fiasco.

Some golf enthusiasts have heaped praise on Doeden for coming clean, with one saying that “apologising and owning up is the first step.”

It will be now interesting to see how PGA Tour Canada deals with the issue, especially with Doeden’s apology thrown in the mix.

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What are your thoughts on the incident? Do you think Justin Doeden should be allowed to walk away with little repercussions on his golfing career? Let us know in the comments!