Bizarre 1957 stunt saw pros rack up double-digit holes, a score of 17 and accusations of “brainwashing”
Golf’s objective is simple: get the ball in the hole in as few strokes as possible. But in 1957, four PGA Tour professionals did the exact opposite. At the Kentucky Derby Open, Don January, George Bayer, Ernie Vossler and Doug Higgins intentionally shot sky-high scores — not out of frustration, but by design.
Their plan? Get disqualified so they could leave early for the next tournament in Texas. What followed was a series of comically bad holes, shocked officials and one of the strangest disciplinary decisions in PGA Tour history.
Why four PGA Tour players deliberately played badly and were suspended
January, Bayer, Vossler and Higgins were sharing accommodation during the 1957 Kentucky Derby Open. All four made the cut after 36 holes — but none wanted to stay for the weekend. They felt they had no realistic chance of winning and preferred to start the long drive to Texas for the following week’s event.
They asked the PGA Tour for permission to withdraw, but were denied. Unless due to injury, illness or exceptional circumstances, players who make the cut must finish the event. Leaving early simply because they wanted to hit the road didn’t qualify. So they came up with a different solution: play badly enough to get thrown out.
January and Higgins intentionally made 10s on a hole. Vossler shot a 46 on the back nine — the least obvious, but still clearly deliberate.
And Bayer produced the most outrageous display of all: on the par-four 17th, he chipped the ball down the entire fairway and carded a 17, prompting tournament committee chairman Bob Toski to accuse him of “brainwashing” the others into joining the stunt.
Their strategy worked — temporarily. All four players were removed from the tournament and immediately set off for Texas. But the next day, the PGA Tour suspended them for 30 days. After heated apologies, the punishment was reduced to a $250 fine and 90 days’ probation.
The highest scores on a single hole in PGA Tour history
Despite Bayer’s theatrics, his 17 wasn’t the worst score ever recorded on a PGA Tour hole. The record — a 19 — is shared by Ray Ainsley, Hans Merrell and Dale Douglass.
- Ray Ainsley (1938 U.S. Open): After hitting into a creek, he repeatedly tried to play the ball as it rolled downstream, unaware he could take a penalty drop.
- Hans Merrell (Pebble Beach Pro-Am): On the par-three 16th at Cypress Point, his tee shot landed on the beach. A series of failed chips — including from thick vegetation — led to a 19.
- Dale Douglass (1963 at Pebble Beach): His drive became lodged on a cliffside. Attempts to escape sent the ball onto the beach before he eventually reached the green and two-putted… for another 19.
These infamous moments remain some of golf’s wildest stories — but few are as collectively strange as the day four professionals tried to lose on purpose.
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