The European Tour group recently came down hard on Swedish golfer Cedric Gugler. After an alleged cheating incident earlier this year, officials have reprimanded him for his actions. The group handed the 25-year-old a ten-tournament suspension for reportedly acting with ‘reckless infringement of the Rules of Golf’.
Gugler has since commented on the incident, including how it will motivate him in the future. However, no one yet knows how it will affect his 2026 season or his reputation.
The Reported Incident
Back in June of 2025, Gugler was disqualified after the first round of the Raiffeisenbank Golf Challenge. At the time, officials did not make his DQ public, nor did they release any details following the decision.
Then, on November 3rd, an Independent Disciplinary Panel reviewed the situation. They determined Gugler “conducted himself in a manner that fell below the standards of behaviour and ethical conduct expected.”
Gugler plays on the HotelPlanner Tour, the feeder circuit for the DP World Tour. Officials handed him a harsh penalty, suspending him for 10 tournaments in the 2026 HotelPlanner season.
Gugler’s playing partners, Adri Arnaus and Aron Zemmer, reported the rule violation to officials after the round.
Cedric later posted on social media regarding the matter, uploading a story to Instagram stating,
“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. This is what my playing partners reported to the tournament officials after the round.”
He went on to say that his mistake was during his initial hearing following the round, stating,
“I somewhat carelessly admitted that it might have been possible that the ball —out of simple inattentiveness— 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.”
Official statement from the European Tour group
The European Tour Group released the following statement on the matter.
“The European Tour Group announced today that Cedric Gugler has been sanctioned for breaching its Code of Behaviour in a tournament on the HotelPlanner Tour.
“An Independent Disciplinary Panel, which met on November 3, 2025, found that Gugler had conducted himself in a manner that fell below the standards of behaviour and ethical conduct expected of Tour members during the first round of the Raiffeisenbank Golf Challenge at the Kaskada Golf Resort in the Czech Republic on June 12, 2025.
“He was disqualified from the tournament after playing his ball from the wrong place on putting surfaces on multiple occasions.
“The Independent Disciplinary Panel – comprising Philip Evans KC, sports administrator Ian Larsen and Legends Tour Member Markus Brier – ruled 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.
“Because of the serious breach, he has been suspended for the first 10 HotelPlanner Tour events of the season, beginning on January 29, 2026, the day of the Tour’s first tournament of the 2026 season, the SDC Open in South Africa.
“He will be permitted to return after the first ten events have concluded, a date which will be determined once the 2026 HotelPlanner Tour schedule has been finalised and announced.”
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