[Photo: Octavio Passos]
Switzerland’s Cedric Gugler received one of the harshest suspensions in recent memory on the HotelPlanner Tour, and overnight he released a statement on Instagram revealing his side of the story.
Gugler’s rules breach took place this past June in an event in the Czech Republic, the Raiffeisenbank Golf Challenge. In the opening round, Gugler shot a four-over 75 and was later disqualified for playing his ball from the wrong place on the green multiple times. It was Gugler’s playing partners, Spain’s Adri Arnaus and Italy’s Aron Zemmer, who reported the infractions to tournament officials after the round.
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On November 3, an independent disciplinary panel, which consisted of Philip Evans KC, sports administrator Ian Larsen and Legends Tour Member Markus Brier, ruled that Gugler’s conduct was a serious breach by virtue of a reckless infringement of the Rules of Golf. Gugler was hit with a 10-event suspension, which will see him miss the first five months of the 2026 HotelPlanner Tour season.
“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,” Gugler wrote on his Instagram story. “I have been accused of not marking or replacing my ball correctly on the green during the first round of the Kaskada Golf Challenge. This is what my playing partners reported to the tournament officials after the round.”
Gugler went onto explain that his key mistake actually came after the round that evening, when he had an initial hearing in the tournament office.
“I somewhat carelessly admitted that it might have been possible – out of simple inattentiveness – that the ball was not placed back exactly on the same spot,” he said. “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.”
Gugler did go on to say that he accepts the decision and that he will use it as motivation to be much more careful, particularly when marking his ball on the green.
The full HotelPlanner Tour schedule for 2026 has not yet been finalised, but the season will begin on January 29 with the SDC Open in South Africa. For now there are three more scheduled events in February. Gugler may not return until 10 events have concluded, a date that won’t be determined until a full schedule is announced.
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