Swiss professional banned from European Tour for 10 tournaments - "Reckless" rule violations

Swiss professional golfer Cedric Gugler (25) has been hit with a drastic sanction by the European Tour Group. Due to a serious breach of the Code of Conduct, which has been classified as a "reckless breach of the Rules of Golf", Gugler must sit out the first ten tournaments of the 2026 season on the HotelPlanner Tour. The penalty follows an incident in June in which Gugler repeatedly failed to place his ball correctly on the greens.

Cedric Gugler breaks rules on the green

The incident that led to this lengthy disciplinary measure occurred on June 12, 2025 during the first round of the Raiffeisenbank Golf Challenge at Kaskáda Golf Resort in the Czech Republic. Gugler, who was playing on the Challenge Tour at the time, was disqualified after his round (75 strokes, +4).

The reason for the disqualification was that he had played his ball from the wrong place on the greens of several holes. The infractions were reported to the tournament officials after the round by his two playing partners, Spain's Adri Arnaus and Italy's Aron Zemmer.

European Tour verdict: "Serious violation"

The case was investigated by an Independent Disciplinary Panel of the European Tour Group on November 3, 2025. The panel - consisting of Philip Evans KC, Sports Administrator Ian Larsen and Legends Tour member Markus Brier - delivered a harsh verdict. The panel saw Gugler's behavior as a "serious breach of the Tour's Code of Conduct". The jury did not regard the actions on the Green as a one-off oversight, but as a "reckless infringement of the Rules of Golf".

As a consequence, Gugler was suspended for the first ten events of the 2026 HotelPlanner Tour season. The ban begins on January 29, 2026 with the season opener, the SDC Open in South Africa. The exact return date will depend on the final calendar, as he will only be eligible to play again once these ten events have been completed.

Cedric Gugler's explanation: "carelessness" and a mistake in the hearing

Shortly after the decision was announced, the 25-year-old Basler took to social media to explain his side of the story. He emphasized that he has been a golfer since he was six years old and that "fairness, respect and sportsmanship have always had top priority".

Gugler admitted that he had been accused of not marking or putting the ball back correctly on the green. However, he explained that the actual mistake was made during the first hearing at the tournament office on the evening of the incident: "I admitted somewhat carelessly that it could have been possible, due to carelessness, not to have put the ball back in exactly the same place."

In his statement, Gugler emphasized that he "never intended to gain an advantage" and that this imprecise statement had triggered a long and stressful process. He deeply regrets what happened.

Tough setback for the Swiss talent

The ban is a bitter blow for the young Swiss, who turned professional in 2023 and showed his great potential on the DP World Tour in 2024 with a fourth place as a sponsor invitee at the Omega European Masters.

The ten tournaments he will miss comprise an important part of the 2026 season on the second-highest European golf tour. In addition to the sporting setback, Gugler has also lost some of his reputation in the golf world as a result of the internationally acclaimed ruling.

Despite the severity of the ruling, Gugler announced that he would accept the decision: "I accept the decision and will use it as motivation to be even more careful in the future, especially when marking the ball on the green." True to his guiding principle - "There is no elevator on the way to success, you have to take the stairs!" - Gugler is now facing one of the biggest challenges of his young career.