PGA Tour winner J.B. Holmes thrown out of Calcutta event for playing under a fake name

J.B. Holmes was disqualified from a Calcutta midway through the second day of a six-man scramble event last week in Franklin, Tennessee, at Franklin Bridge Golf Course.

There were 22 teams for the two-day event, and a Calcutta was arranged for the second day with three flights being created. Calcutta is a betting format popular in golf where one can bet on the golfer he thinks is going to win or the team he thinks will triumph eventually. For Holmes' flight, the winner would get $21,000 from $30,000 Calcutta.

Holmes' team was at 21-under after the first day and looked set to win the money, but there was a twist to come. Franklin Bridge's owner, Brooks T. West, recognized Holmes. One can ask what's the big deal about recognizing a golfer. Well, the big deal was that Holmes had entered the event as John Bradley, which isn't the usual case.

Once it was discovered that John Bradley was, in fact, J.B. Holmes, the five-time winner on the PGA Tour, his team was made ineligible for the winning sum. However, they were allowed to compete in the tournament. The group won the event, but the announcement was reportedly welcomed with boos though West refuted these claims.

Ryan French, the owner of the Monday Q Info Twitter handle, stated that the reason J.B. Holmes and co. were deemed ineligible for the Calcutta was due to the name. However, the group didn't break the event's rule and hence was allowed to complete the event.

The five-time winner on the PGA Tour also responded to the controversy. He tweeted:

"I did play scrabble under my real name…..John Bradley. It was bring your best team….. and we had the best team.'

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How many titles has J.B. Holmes won on PGA Tour?

J.B. Holmes during the final round of the 2019 Genesis Open

J.B. Holmes turned professional in 2005 after a successful amateur career. His 18-year-long professional career has seen a lot of highs and lows, from some of the great triumphs to the injury struggles. He has succeeded five times on the PGA Tour and has been ranked as high as the World No. 12 in Original World Golf Rankings.

Holmes had a flying start with a win at the 2006 FBR Open, his fifth start. Soon, he became the quickest to earn $1 million in career earnings on the PGA Tour. His form dipped afterward, with just two top tens in 2007.

The following year, the University of Kentucky alumnus had a redemption at the 2008 Ryder Cup, where he beat Soren Hansen by 2-and-1. He also won his second FBR Open title that year His career took a major hit when he was diagnosed with Chiari malformations. Holmes made a comeback in 2012 after two surgeries.

Since 2012, J.B. Holmes went on to win three more titles on PGA Tour (2014 Wells Fargo Championship, 2015 Shell Houston Open 2019 Genesis Open) and his most recent win came at the 2019 Genesis Open where he bested Justin Thomas by a stroke, winning $1,332,000.

This year, the 41-year-old golfer has played eight events and made two cuts with the best finish of T67 at the Genesis Invitational.