Gogel suspended 6 months for betting on golf tournaments he wasn’t playing

Matt Gogel watches his shot off the second tee during the first round of the PGA Tour Champions Principal Charity Classic golf tournament, Friday, June 3, 2022, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File) 2026-08-26T17:51:49Z Matt Gogel has been suspended for six months for betting on golf. The PGA Tour said Wednesday none of the wagers were for tournaments he was playing. Gogel, whose best finish on the PGA Tour Champions this year was a runner-up in the Senior British Open, will be eligible to return on Feb. 22, 2027. Gogel, 55, called it an honest mistake. “In 2024 and 2025, I unknowingly violated the PGA Tour policy by placing small, recreational wagers on golf,” Gogel said in a statement provided by the tour. “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.” The tour did not disclose details of his violation, though his statement would indicate the wagers involved major championships. Gogel, who grew up in Kansas, was best known on the PGA Tour for shooting 40 on the back nine in 2000 when Tiger Woods overcame a seven-shot deficit in the final seven holes at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am for his sixth straight victory. Gogel atoned for that two years later by winning at Pebble Beach, his lone PGA Tour title. He worked briefly for Golf Channel and CBS, returning to competition when he turned 50 and became eligible for the PGA Tour Champions. ___ See AP’s full golf coverage here