Tour Pro Claims He Was Suspended For Betting $116 On Bryson DeChambeau, Sends Warning To Other Players

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Korn Ferry Tour players Jake Staiano and Vincie India were recently suspended for violating the PGA Tour Integrity Program by placing bets on PGA Tour competitions. Staiano, who was handed a three-month suspension, recently joined the 'Any Given Monday' podcast to share details about the situation.

The Colorado State product explained that he never denied gambling on events, but his three-month ban compared to the wagers he made seem rather severe.

Staiano said that he placed a total of four wagers back in 2021 totaling $116.20, with all four bets being tied to Bryson DeChambeau. He explained that he made one bet of $25 on the former U.S. Open champion to make a birdie on a certain hole during a Tour event and then three more wagers on DeChambeau during 'The Match' against Brooks Koepka.

Interestingly enough, Staiano claimed that the three bets on 'The Match' didn't appear to be an issue given that the event wasn't an official Tour event, instead, just an exhibition. If that were the case, then his three-month suspension centers around one $25 wager.

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Jake Staiano has been suspended for three months by the PGA Tour after he claims he wagered just over $100 back in 2021. (Photo by Andrew Wevers/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)

While others would shy away from explaining the situation given the relatively small wager amount at hand, Staiano sees it as an opportunity to warn other players to be careful.

“I’ve accepted my punishment. It is what it is," he explained. "Fair or not, people can argue that, but one of my biggest things is I want to make sure other guys understand exactly what happened so that they don’t make the same thing mistake. Because it could be career-altering.”

"I don’t want that to happen to other people because it sucks, it’s tough. It’s a tough situation, it’s something that I have to live with, but I feel like not only myself but other people can learn from what I did.”

Staiano shared that he was first contacted by an investigator in May 2023. All eight Korn Ferry Tour events he played in during the '23 campaign came after he was first contacted about a potential violation. Staiano made three of eight cuts this past season earning just over $21,000 along the way.

You can follow Mark Harris on Twitter @ItIsMarkHarris and email him at mark.harris@outkick.com

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.