Tour Pro Apologizes For ‘Knowingly Violating’ PGA Tour Betting Rules

Korn Ferry Tour pro Vince India has apologized for a violation of the PGA Tour betting rules that led to a six-month suspension.

The 34-year-old was hit with the suspension from PGA Tour-sanctioned competitions, which began on 18 September and runs until 17 March, after falling foul of the Tour’s Integrity Program.

The decision was announced in a PGA Tour statement that said India and another KFT player, Jake Staiano, had “placed bets on PGA Tour competitions,” before stressing that “neither player bet on tournaments in which he was a participant.”

The Tour made no further comment on the suspensions, but India has offered his thoughts via his X (formerly Twitter) account.

The University of Iowa alum wrote: “I have been truly blessed to be able to pursue a career in professional golf. It's an absolute privilege to play this game for a living. To that end, I'm deeply ashamed that my behavior and poor decisions put my dream in jeopardy. I regret them every day.”

India then admitted he had known his actions violated the Integrity Program, writing: “I want to apologize to the Tour for knowingly violating the Integrity Program. I'm sorry to all my friends, family, coaches, sponsors and anyone who has supported me throughout my career.”

Ultimately, though, India said that he plans to turn the experience into a positive by improving as both a person and a player. 

He continued: “I'm confident I will grow from this. It's an opportunity to continue to tackle the heart of my problems. I'm going to put more hours than ever into my body and mind this off-season, and ultimately come out a better person and player. I'm looking forward to 2024 and continuing my goal to play golf at the highest level.

“Lastly, thanks to everyone who reached out to me. You're all wonderful and it means more than you could know.”

India’s statement follows Staiano’s admittance that he had placed bets of $116 on Bryson DeChambeau in 2021, which led to his three-month suspension.

In an interview with the Any Given Monday podcast, the 26-year-old also admitted wrongdoing, saying: “I understand the principles, I understand you can’t bet. They laid it out perfectly. I didn’t deny gambling.

“I’ve accepted my punishment. It is what it is. Fair or not, people can argue that, but one of my biggest things is I want to make sure other guys understand exactly what happened so that they don’t make the same thing mistake. Because it could be career-altering.”

The tour's Integrity Program manual, updated in September 2021, states that its primary purpose is "preventing betting-related corruption in PGA Tour competitions."

Among the prohibited actions is: "Betting on professional golf events." The text covers: "Any covered person, directly or indirectly, betting on the outcome or any other aspect of any PGA Tour event, any other professional golf competition or any elite amateur golf competition (including Olympic Golf) anywhere in the world (Professional Golf Event)." 

India has played full-time on the KFT since 2019 and has claimed earnings of $569,844. He has had eight top-10 finishes on the Tour, but failed to post a top-10 this season in 22 starts, despite making half the cuts. He also has three career PGA Tour starts, but has yet to make a cut.