Elliot Saltman to return on European Tour after serving a three-month ban
Elliot Saltman will return to the European Tour after serving a three month ban slashed on him by the tour committee. Saltman was found guilty of committing a serious breach of the rules when he marked his ball last September at the Challenge Tour.
The decision by the European Tour came in January this year, fortunately for Saltman though, he will be back on the course after just missing one tournament, The Sicilian Open. The 29-year-old Scott’s one-tournament ban has been criticized by several top
ranking golfers who claim that the punishment was barely enough for an offence like that.
“That doesn't seem right to me - the punishment should fit the crime,” Ernie Els said, “Maybe there's been some leniency shown because it was a first offence, but if you play professional golf you should know how to mark a ball on the green.”
Saltman is the second person to be slashed with a ban on European Tour after Sweden’s Johan Tumba received a 10-year suspension when he was reportedly caught altering his scorecard at the qualifying school in 1992. But the Scotsman does not think that he
deserved what he received and claimed that he was innocent in the whole ordeal.
“I wish to emphasize again that I do not cheat, have never cheated and do not believe I have done anything wrong,” Saltman had said testifying under a lie detector.
The committee that passed the verdict comprised of top ranking players like Colin Montgomery, Paul Casey, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Darren Clarke, Paul Laurie, and was chaired by Thomas Bjorn. The tour chief executive George O’Grady stayed out of the discussion
as he would’ve chaired the committee in case of an appeal by Saltman. The European Tour, however, is now working on a more appropriate setup to address such issue on the footings of other sports decision panels.
There are players, however, who still think that Saltman was high-handled. Former Ryder Cup player Thomas Levet said that regardless of the severity or leniency of the ban, it still is a stigma which will stick to the players profile for the rest of his
life. Saltman was also accused of not replacing his balls correctly while playing with some Russian golfers.
Saltman is likely to return for the Barcelona Open in Spain scheduled from May 5 to 8.
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