J.B. Holmes Uses Different Name in Big Money Scramble, Was it an Honest Mistake?

J.B. Holmes has been through a lot over the years between surgeries on his brain and also his back. Even through his trials, he’s driven himself to win 5 times on the PGA Tour, racking up 25 million dollars over his career. He hasn’t made many headlines since winning in 2019, but playing under a name, John Bradley, in a local scramble might do it. 

This scramble event is called the Gangsome, which is a 2-day long tournament and 6-man scramble held in Franklin, Tennessee, at Franklin Bridge Golf Club. Each team can only have two players that are plus handicap (better than scratch). However, these handicaps aren’t a part of tournament scoring, as this tournament took gross totals. J.B. Holmes, aka John Bradley, which stands for his initials, was playing under an 8.8 handicap, as shown below.

Brooks T. West the Owner and Operator of the golf course, told Golf.com that Holmes nor his team ever communicated with the pro shop about his handicap, so in a rush, they put in a John Bradley that lives about 300 miles away that plays off a 9.6 handicap and a low of 8.8 shown in the picture above. Not putting his real name affects the betting on the tournament because more people would have bet on his team if they had known a 5-time PGA Tour Winner was on a team. It seems logical that anyone would naturally put their money down on that team. 

West became skeptical of John Bradley on Day 2 of the Gangsome and decided to watch him on the 3rd hole. When he had his swing, it became clear to West that this was indeed J.B. Holmes. They came to the agreement that their Calcutta buy-in would be refunded and wouldn’t be eligible for winnings only for the trophy.

A brief explanation of the Calcutta is an auction-style wagering system that is common in several golf club tournaments. Golfers can place wagers on individuals or teams. The money that was spent will be in an auction that is put into a pot. If your golfer or team wins or finishes in the payout places, you will win as well with your wager.

After all the drama unfolded, J.B. Holmes and his squad won with the trophies but came up with pockets empty. Holmes had this to say via Twitter: 

Here is the Tournament rules and what actually happened. We were winning -21 after round 1 and that’s how they made the flights. pic.twitter.com/zCNUm0kNYY

— J.B. Holmes (@JBHolmesgolf) June 1, 2023

The trophy now resides between his Ryder Cup replica trophies. Was it just an honest mistake or a quick hustle his team was trying to pull off?

Nonetheless, a story that will stay with the course for many years to come. 

I did play scrabble under my real name…..John Bradley. It was bring your best team….. and we had the best team. pic.twitter.com/RsaYrV9cV5

— J.B. Holmes (@JBHolmesgolf) May 30, 2023

Cover Image Via SkySports