Amateur golfer Zach Holland has admitted faking a hole-in-one during a members’ tournament at WingHaven Country Club in Missouri, calling his actions “complete stupidity”. The incident matters because it undermined a competition involving a prize pot and prompted the club to stress the importance of integrity in golf.

Holland, a plus-two handicap and former college golfer, placed a ball in the fourth-hole cup before his round, then told his group he had played ahead after taking a supposed phone call. Club staff became suspicious because nobody witnessed the shot and security footage showed him driving near the hole before his tee time; he confessed when confronted, resigned his membership and said he feared the impact on his family.