PGA Tour suspends Matt Gogel for six months for betting

PGA Tour suspended senior tour member Matt Gogel for six months after he placed multiple golf bets in recent years, the league announced on Wednesday. Gogel competes on the PGA Tour Champions circuit for players aged 50 and older.

Gogel, 55, bet on PGA Tour events in 2024 and 2025, and the Tour said the wagers did not involve tournaments in which he was a participant. The Tour said betting on any PGA Tour event or other professional golf competition violates its integrity program.

The suspension bars Gogel from Tour-sanctioned events for six months, and he will be eligible to return in late February. PGA Tour said the policy breach involves recreational wagers that Gogel placed without knowing he was violating the rules.

"In 2024 and 2025, I unknowingly violated the PGA Tour policy by placing small recreational wagers on golf," Gogel said in a statement.

He added that he did not place bets on events he competed in, and he characterized the matters as an honest mistake as he looked ahead to returning to play.

"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. I would never knowingly violate the integrity of the game of golf. "I made an honest mistake, and I look forward to playing in '27 on the PGA Tour Champions."

The BBC said Gogel last played during the Rogers Charity Classic in Calgary, Alberta, where he finished tied 30th last week. In 2026, he recorded two top-10 finishes across 18 PGA Tour Champions events.

Gogel has earned more than $760,000 (£559,000) in prize money from Champions events, and he won the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in 2002. His suspension came into effect on 23 August and lasts until 22 February.