Amateur golfer Zach Holland has resigned his membership at a St. Louis-area country club after admitting to a bizarre cheating incident in which he staged a hole-in-one during a member-member tournament.
The incident took place at WingHaven Country Club, where participants in the event contributed to a prize pool that would be awarded to any golfer who recorded a hole-in-one during the tournament.
What was intended as a fun side competition instead became the center of controversy after Holland was accused of manipulating the outcome.
Holland admits cheating stunt
Holland later resigned from WingHaven following the controversy but initially remained silent about what had happened. He eventually addressed the incident publicly during an appearance on The Morning After STL show, where he admitted that his actions were indefensible.
"You do something as dumb as I did, there are consequences for that," Holland said Friday during an interview with "The Morning After" show on 101 ESPN St. Louis.
During the interview, Holland was asked what motivated him to carry out the stunt.
{{/usCountry}}During the interview, Holland was asked what motivated him to carry out the stunt.
{{/usCountry}}"I don't really know. I've talked to people, and there really is no motivation. It's just complete stupidity, and we were giving two shots back to the field, and that's not an excuse. There's no excuse for what happened," said Holland.
Holland explained that he and his playing partners were giving two shots back to the field and said he handled the situation in the worst possible way. He also admitted that the fallout extended beyond his golf career and affected the trust of his family.
WingHaven responds to scandal
Nathan Charnes, the acting PGA of America president and general manager at WingHaven, confirmed that the club was aware of the incident and had taken action after learning what happened.
Also rad | How many 59s on a PGA Tour in history?
According to Holland, the WingHaven member-member tournament featured a hole-in-one prize pool, and he was part of the event's opening group.
How Holland staged the fake ace
He told ESPN Radio that he played the first three holes normally before informing his playing partners that he needed to step away to take a personal phone call, which he said concerned his gravely ill grandmother.
He told the group he would tee off on the fourth hole ahead of them and then meet them near the green so they could maintain the tournament's pace of play.
When he later rejoined his playing partners, Holland claimed that he told them he had "thinned" his tee shot and had lost sight of where the ball went.
The group eventually discovered a ball in the cup and believed Holland had made a hole-in-one, prompting them to celebrate the apparent ace before notifying a course superintendent.
Security footage exposed the truth
The situation unraveled after WingHaven officials reviewed security footage. According to Holland, the video showed him driving toward the fourth green well before his scheduled tee time.
Also read | 87-year-old golfer celebrates 135-yard hole-in-one with iconic pose in stunning golf moment
Faced with the evidence, Holland acknowledged to club officials that he had staged the hole-in-one. He subsequently resigned his membership at WingHaven, bringing his association with the club to an end.