This scandal out of WingHaven Country Club in Missouri might be hard to top.
What’s the worst case of cheating you could imagine on a golf course? Got something? Great. Now, make it infinitely worse. You’re now imagining the severity of this latest scandal that is making waves across golf social media.
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It all reportedly happened at a member-member golf tournament at WingHaven Country Club, where all players contribute to a pot, to be awarded to anyone who makes a hole-in-one over the course of the event. Most participants would see this is a fun little side-bet. Most, but not all. One member, who has since been identified in reporting by 101 ESPN in St. Louis as Zach Holland, a former college golfer, saw it as a chance to weasel some money from his fellow golfers and, presumably, friends.
The clip, originally posted by a TikTok user going by RJ Plunkett and corroborated by Holland himself during an interview with ESPN’s “The Morning After” radio show, describes the scene.
Playing in the first group off on the day of the tournament, Holland realized his group would be the first to play the 4th hole that day. In the early hours of the morning, he parked his car by the 4th hole, walked out to the green, manufactured a ball-mark on the putting surface, and dropped his ball into the hole.
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That’s bad enough, I know, but there’s more. Once at the course with his playing partners, he made sure to mention that, at some point during the round, he would receive a call regarding his grandmother, who he claimed was sick in the hospital.
Well, wouldn’t you know, the perfect time for the imaginary phone call to come in was just as Holland was finishing up the 3rd hole. Using pace of play as an excuse, he drove up to the next tee box ahead of his group. When they caught up to him and asked him how his shot went, he casually explained that he’d thinned it, but he could see that there was a divot on the green where the ball must have landed. Are you seeing where I’m going with this?
The group arrived at the green, and–you’ll never guess–there was his ball, sitting in the bottom of the hole! Celebration ensued, but as word spread, speculation came. After all, there was money on the line, and nobody had actually seen the hole-in-one drop. Well, nobody except the cameras, which–when asked–the course’s superintendent revealed were right by the 4th hole.
And that’s when the plot of this scandal was revealed. The cameras had seen the whole ordeal. Holland had been caught red-handed.
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But that’s not where the story ends. The culprit went on ESPN Radio’s “The Morning After” show, atoning for his sins over the airwaves. Dan On Golf’s latest episode included the recording.
He owns up to the incident, going so far as to say that he deserves the chatter he’s received across social media. However, he chalks the whole scandal up to a bad decision, and claims to not be a cheater on the golf course.
Look, I’m not here to be a judge of character, or try to understand a premeditated scheme to steal a hole-in-one pot from your country club. But, unfortunately, you can’t really say you’re not a cheater in golf after you’ve been caught… cheating in golf. Regardless of intention or result, this story is no doubt one of the craziest golf course scandals I’ve ever heard.
In the wake of the scandal, Holland has resigned from his membership at WingHaven, per recent reporting by ESPN.
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