[PHOTO: Eakin Howard]
The PGA Tour announced overnight, Australian time, that it has suspended two players on the Korn Ferry Tour for violating the Integrity Program. In an e-mailed statement, the tour said Vince India and Jake Staiano [above] placed bets on PGA Tour competitions, though did not bet on tournaments in which they were participants.
The tour said India is suspended from PGA Tour-sanctioned competition for six months, with the suspension having begun on September 18, 2023. Staiano is banned from PGA Tour-sanctioned tournaments for three months, with his suspension starting on September 11, 2023.
The tour said it will have no further comment on the suspensions at this time.
India, 34, is a University of Iowa alumni who has played full-time on the Korn Ferry Tour since 2019 and has career KFT earnings of $US569,844. He had eight top-10 finishes from 2019-2023 but didn’t post a top-10 this season in 22 starts, while making half the cuts. He has three career PGA Tour starts without making a cut.
Staiano, 26, has played in 17 total events on the KFT over the past two seasons, with the Colorado State University product earning $US30,910 in the six cuts he’s made. He played eight times in 2023 and made three cuts, with one top-25 finish. Staiano has not played on the PGA Tour.
The tour’s Integrity Program manual, which was last updated in September 2021, states that its primary purpose is “preventing betting-related corruption in PGA Tour competitions”.
Among the prohibited actions in the manual is “Betting on Professional Golf Events”. The text of the rules read: “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”). In this Manual, ”Betting” means (A) placing any money or other thing of value on the occurrence of an uncertain outcome with the expectation of return or (B) participating in any fantasy or other game that awards a prize of value, including any free-to-play, paid or daily fantasy game, unless expressly approved by the PGA Tour.”
