U.S. Mid-Am Medalist Forfeits Amateur Status

NOTE: This is exclusive breaking news from Texas Links Magazines.

Mike McCaffrey had one of the most successful summers in recent Texas amateur golf history. Most of it has been stricken from the record books.
 

League City's Mike McCaffrey forfeited his
amateur status by accepting $8,500 in an
Aug. 21 skins game at Beeville Country Club.

The United States Golf Association on Oct. 20 ruled that McCaffrey “professionalized his playing status” on Aug. 21 by accepting $8,500 in prize money from a skins game at Beeville Country Club. Accepting prize money is a violation of Rule 3 of the USGA’s Rules of Amateur Status.

Rule 3-2 under the Rules of Golf’s Amateur Status states “an amateur golfer must not accept a prize (other than a symbolic prize) or prize voucher of retail value in excess of $750 or the equivalent, or such a lesser figure as may be decided by the USGA.”

USGA spokesman Joe Goode told Texas Links that McCaffrey, a 41-year-old from League City, clearly violated Rule 3.

“The USGA ruling follows a lengthy investigation,” Goode said. “As soon as he accepted the prize money, he professionalized his status.”

With the ruling, McCaffrey retroactively forfeited his amateur status on Aug. 21, which means his win at the Texas Golf Association’s State Mid-Amateur Championship at Carlton Woods has been surrendered. McCaffrey was also made ineligible for last weekend’s Texas Shootout.

“It’s a very unfortunate situation that certainly brought to light some things for other players to be aware of, things that might damage their amateur status,” TGA president Rob Addington said. “The USGA is the governing body in situations like this, and we will abide by their ruling. We have no choice but to make him ineligible for the Mid-Am, which means that victory is forfeited.”

McCaffrey also forfeits his impressive run at the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship at Shadow Hawk Golf Club in September.

The USGA has asked McCaffrey to return the medal he received for his nation’s-best low score in sectional qualifying, an 8-under 64 at Pine Forest Country Club. The USGA also asked McCaffrey to return the medal he received for the stroke play portion of the U.S. Mid-Am. McCaffrey posted 68-68 at the national championship for amateur golfers aged 25 and older and earned medalist honors. He was the top seed in the match play bracket, in which he advanced to the quarterfinals.

All of that has been forfeited.

McCaffrey’s October win at the Harvey Penick Invitational, a prominent amateur event at Austin Country Club, likely will be vacated as well. Tournament chairman Rod Harris was caught off guard by the news Sunday night.

“We’re going to do the right thing here,” Harris said. “We’re going to abide by the USGA ruling.”

Goode said the USGA took no pleasure in its ruling.

“As the national governing body of golf in the United States, it’s our responsibility to write and enforce the Rules of Golf and the Rules of Amateur Status,” Goode said. “Failure to act in this case would have been to abdicate one of our core responsibilities.”

In an investigation conducted by the USGA and TGA, the USGA found hard evidence that McCaffery accepted a check for $8,500 in a Beeville skins game on Aug. 21.

McCaffrey said he is appealing the decision.

“It was a skins game,” McCaffrey said. “When I learned it was excessive per the USGA standards, I gave the money back.”

McCaffrey, who regained his amateur status in February, said he returned the money to the club in Beeville a few days after the event. Repeated calls to the Beeville Country Club were not returned.

“After-the-fact repayment of prize money isn’t a valid defense of a violation of the rules of amateur status,” Goode said. “This case serves as a cautionary tale of conduct that undermines the spirit and values of the game that all competitors should avoid.”

One of the USGA’s primary functions is to protect the integrity and fairness of the amateur game. Goode said McCaffrey’s actions illustrated a “clear violation” of the rules.

McCaffrey said he knows of scores of golfers who have broken Rule 3 of the USGA’s Amateur Status.

“I could name 300 golfers who have played in Calcuttas and accepted money,” McCaffrey said. “A skins game is a skins game. I guess they have certain cheeks they can turn at certain times. I’ve turned everything over to my attorney and I’m appealing it. I think I’ll come out ahead in the end. I’ll get my satisfaction in the end.”

A former two-time All-American at North Texas, McCaffrey was a longtime mini-tour player before regaining his amateur status. In the spring of 2010, he began suffering from a loss of sensation in his fingers and toes. He said he visited several doctors for extensive testing and was diagnosed by Dr. Milvia Pleitez with a neuromuscular disease with a concern for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease).

Repeated calls to Dr. Pleitez, the head of the Neuromuscular Biopsy Laboratory at Methodist Neurological Institute, went unreturned.

Upon receiving the new health information in McCaffrey’s appeal to regain his amateur status near the end of 2010, the USGA reinstated McCaffrey as an amateur in February 2011. Two months later, McCaffrey won the 36-hole TGA South Region Mid-Am at Riverbend Country Club by two shots with 11-under 205.

McCaffrey also finished third at Austin Country Club for the Texas Amateur, eighth at the Champions Cup and third at the State Four Ball in Kerrville. Those accomplishments stand, but all of McCaffrey’s amateur results after Aug. 21 will be vacated. 

More controversy surrounded McCaffrey this summer. Rumors swirled about the veracity of his health issues and neuromuscular disease diagnosis. On the eve of McCaffrey’s quarterfinal match against eventual champion Randal Lewis at the U.S. Mid-Amateur, the USGA confronted McCaffrey about the claims. There was a closed-door meeting at Shadow Hawk with McCaffrey and at least two USGA officials, including U.S. Mid-Am Director Bill McCarthy.

McCaffrey said the tone of the meeting was accusatory and his doctors’ diagnoses were called into question. McCaffrey added that his performance in the quarterfinals—he lost 3 and 1 to Lewis—was affected by the previous night’s meeting with the USGA.

The USGA did not comment on whether McCaffrey’s health concerns played a role in his forfeiture of amateur status.

“Our ruling was based on the clear facts we learned in our investigation about Mr. McCaffrey professionalizing his amateur status,” Goode said.