Saltman decides against appeal
Elliot Saltman has decided not to appeal against his three-month ban from the European Tour.
But the 28-year-old Scot continues to insist that he has never tried to cheat and has even had a lie-detector test.
Saltman was suspended last month after being found guilty by the Tour’s tournament committee of a serious breach of the rules during a Challenge Tour event in Russian last year.
His two playing partners both asserted that the Tour qualifying school graduate did not replace his ball correctly on a number of occasions.
Saltman said in a statement: “I wish to emphasise again that I do not cheat, have never cheated and do not believe I have done anything wrong.
“I want to get back to playing as quickly as I can because playing is the best way to show people that I am not a cheat.
“It has been a terrible few months. I have worked all my life to be a professional golfer and I love the game. To get my Tour card and then have this happen is unimaginable.
“To have people who don’t know me and who know nothing about me go out in the media and question my honesty is really hurtful.
“To be accused of being a cheat is a terrible stigma and sadly is one that I will now almost certainly have to carry for the rest of my life.
“But I am a golfer and I just want to get back out there and play.#
“I know there is a lot of sympathy for me amongst the players as well, although I am sure that a few will give me a frosty reception.
“That will be difficult, but I will just have to live with it.”
Saltman has already played a tournament since the ban was imposed. That was on the Hi5 Pro Tour in Spain and he finished fourth. The winner was his brother Lloyd, also a European Tour member.
The statement said that his legal team advised him of concerns over the likelihood of an appeal success “given the current procedures followed by the European Tour that restrict their ability to proactively and fully put his case”.
It also stated that he had commissioned a polygraph test in which he was asked if he had incorrectly marked his ball in Russia or had ever cheated during his professional career.
“To both questions Elliot answered ’No’. The examiner found no traces of stress in the answers and concluded ”it is my professional opinion that the examinee is truthful“.
Saltman is eligible to play on the European and Challenge Tours again in mid-April at the Volvo China Open.
