Swiss golfer Cedric Gugler did some incredible work fighting through the DP World Q-School, but things went horribly wrong pretty soon. Only days after securing a spot at the HotelPlanner Tour, Gugler was handed a lengthy suspension for a rules infraction. The Swiss pro has been barred from participating in the 2026 season of the HotelPlanner Tour for ten events, which will span nearly five months.

The incident took place at the Raiffeisenbank Golf Challenge back in June. Gugler’s playing mates complained that the Swiss pro played his ball from the wrong place on the putting green more than once.

Gugler accepted the mistake, and he was disqualified from the tournament after the first round. However, the matter didn’t end there. The European Tour Committee later formed a disciplinary panel consisting of Philip Evans KC, sports administrator Ian Larsen, and Legends Tour member Markus Brier.

They met on November 3 and, after discussion, decided that Gugler’s actions amounted to “reckless infringement of the Rules of Golf.” As per the official statement from the European Tour Group, the suspension will commence on January 29, 2026, and will be lifted once the tenth tournament concludes, which is expected to be in May.

Gugler made only 7 cuts in 19 events this year, with the T30 at Challenge de Espana being his best finish. He had to secure his HotelPlanner Tour status via the DPWT Q School.

Interestingly enough, Gugler has claimed the severe ban was more due to his ‘reckless’ choice of words rather than just the rules violation.

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Cedric Gugler opens up on the stringent ban

Gugler took to Instagram to share his side of the story. According to him, he was questioned about misplacing the ball at the Raiffeisenbank Golf Challenge. Gugler, while admitting the mistake, inadvertently said, he might have done it on a couple of occasions out of inattentiveness. While he was deeply sorry for the rules breach, the words made it seem that he had little regard for such infractions. 

Explaining the scenario, Gugler wrote, “I have been accused of not marking or replacing my ball correctly on the green during the first round of the Kaskada Golf Challenge [former name of Raiffeisenbank Golf Challenge]. This is what my playing partners reported to the tournament officials after the round. My mistake was that, during the initial hearing in the tournament office on the same evening, I somewhat carelessly admitted that it might have been possible, out of simple inattentiveness, that the ball was not placed back exactly on the same spot.”

Adding further, the 25-year-old wrote, “However, it was never my intention to gain any sort of advantage. Unfortunately, this imprecise statement triggered a long and burdensome process, which has now resulted in this decision. I deeply regret this mishap.”

Cedric Gugler also revealed he would not challenge the verdict. He has won thrice in his professional career, but failed to replicate the success in the HotelPlanner Tour. But he can certainly take inspiration from Marco Penge, who turned his career around after coming back from suspension. Penge is now PGA Tour-bound after three victories in the DP World Tour this season.