Two Korn Ferry Players Are Out The PGA Tour For Now Amid Betting Scandal

If there’s one way to get yourself in a heap of trouble, it’s to break tournament rules. Sadly for two Korn Ferry players, they won’t be competing in the PGA Tour anytime soon. Match fixing is something that’s seen plenty of star athletes lose their time at the top, but things might not be quite that bad for the two players just yet.

Still, their involvement with bets means that Jake Staiano and Vince India won’t be competing for several months. Apparently, there’s more to the story than the pair trying to throw their matches, but it’s left plenty of people questioning their integrity.

Jake Staiano could be back on the course before the end of the year

The end of October 2023 marked a huge moment in Jake Staiano’s career - and not for the right reasons. That’s because he was caught betting on various games, with the PGA Tour announcing it broke their “Integrity Program.” While no further details were given about what precise rules were broken, Staiano has since offered his side of the story. When talking on the ‘Any Given Monday’ podcast, the 27-year-old admitted that he made four bets that totaled $116.20. Apparently, one came when Staiano bet that Bryson DeChambeau would make a birdie on a par 5 while competing in a PGA tour even back in 2021, while three others were do to with DeChambeau playing Brooks Koepka in The Match in November of the same year. Apparently, Staiano thought the latter wouldn’t be an issue as it was a made-for-TV exhibition, but has since warned others about making “career-altering” decisions. As for his suspension, Staiano’s three-month ban started on September 11 and will run until December 10, 2023.

Vince India won’t be competing until Spring 2024 at the earliest

Like Jake Staiano, Vince India wasn’t found to have placed bets on any of the matches he was competing in, meaning he escaped a lifetime ban. However, he faces harsher punishment than his fellow Korn Ferry player as India landed a six-month suspension, running from September 18 until March 17, 2024. This means he won’t be able to compete in any Korn Ferry Tour or PGA events, which also means both players will miss the final part of Q-School. Of course, this is the main pathway to a PGA Tour qualification and is held in December, meaning there’s a good chance next year could be quiet for the pair as a knock-on effect. The 34-year-old has been quieter about the announcement, meaning we’re yet to find out what India did that made his suspension that much longer than Staiano’s.

Seeing two Korn Ferry players getting suspended from the PGA Tour amid a betting scandal might not have been the news golf fans expected to see at the end of the year, but Jake Staiano and Vince India aren’t out for good. It might just take a while for them to climb anywhere near back to the top.