Tour pro given five-month ban for breaking golf rule

A European golfer has been suspended for five months on the HotelPlanner Tour after a "reckless infringement of the rules of golf". 

Switzerland's Cedric Gugler was disqualified after the first round of the Raiffeisenbank Golf Challenge in the Czech Republic. 

The 25-year-old signed for a four-over 75 but was later disqualified from the tournament that was held in June.  

Rules officials determined he played his ball from the wrong spot on multiple occasions on the greens at Kaskada Golf Resort

An independent disciplinary panel, led by Philip Evans KC, determined 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". 

As a result, the golfer has been suspended for the first 10 events of the HotelPlanner Tour's 2026 season.

The ban rules him out of action for five months. The season begins at the SDC Open in South Africa. 

A European Tour spokesperson confirmed that his suspension will begin on 29 January 2026. 

"He will be permitted to return after the first 10 events have concluded, a date which will be determined once the 2026 HotelPlanner Tour schedule has been finalised and announced," the spokesperson added. 

GolfMagic has contacted Gugler for comment. 

The HotelPlanner Tour (formerly Challenge) is the second tier in men's European golf. 

Many players use it as a place to earn a place on the DP World Tour. 

The season finale, played annually in Mallorca, sees the top 20 players in the order of merit secure promotion to the global tour. 

Gugler teed it up in the final stage of qualifying school earlier in the month, but missed out on a card after finishing 111th in the 156-man field. 

More follows.