An amateur golfer is no longer a member of a St. Louis country club after admitting he staged a hole-in-one at a member-member event in early August.
The former junior college golfer, Zach Holland, admitted that during a club event at WingHaven Country Club in O’Fallon, Missouri, he secretly placed his ball in the cup on the par-3 fourth hole. He later claimed to have made a hole-in-one and even presented the ball as proof to his playing partners, hoping to bolster his story.
In his interview with ESPN Radio, Holland explained that he fabricated a reason to separate from his group, telling them he needed to take a personal call and would tee off on No. 4 ahead of them. When his partners arrived at the green, Holland pretended not to know the ball’s
whereabouts, allowing the group to "discover" it in the cup, leading them to believe he had legitimately made an ace.
However, club officials reviewed security camera footage, and the video revealed Holland driving his cart near the fourth green before his scheduled tee time, contradicting his account. Confronted with the evidence, Holland admitted to fabricating the hole-in-one and subsequently resigned his membership.
"There's no excuse for what I did, and I was completely in the wrong," Holland said Friday during an interview with "The Morning After" show on 101 ESPN St. Louis. "There's really no motivation. 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."
Nathan Charnes, acting PGA of America president and general manager at WingHaven, emphasized the club’s commitment to upholding the values of golf.
"WingHaven Country Club is aware of the recent attention surrounding an incident involving a former member during a Club event," Charnes told GOLF.com. "We care deeply about the integrity of the game and the experience we provide for our members and guests. Because this situation involved the actions of an individual and has been resolved, we consider it closed and have no further comment."
Holland disclosed that the cheating scandal's repercussions have been severe. He and his family have endured heavy online backlash, with threats from strangers.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Amateur golfer quits club after admitting fake hole-in-one
