When is a pro not a pro?

When is a pro not a pro?

Monday, 13 July 2009

Online poker pro Dustin Schmidt used to be a professional golfer. At the age of 23 he suffered a career ending heart attack forcing him to return to the amateur ranks. The competitive spirit he had on the golf course has carried on to the felt where his career winnings have topped the $3m mark. A simple case of moving from one type of green playing surface to another? Well not quite.

Schmidt has had his amateur status revoked by the United States Golf Association after throwing down a $1m challenge on his website. Anyone who could beat him over 72 holes of golf and at poker could win the cash. The USGA didn’t take kindly to the offer claiming that it was "detrimental to the best interests of the amateur game." That decision has led Schmidt to take legal action.


Writing on his blog Schmidt said “I am about as sad as I have been since shortly after my heart attack 5 years ago. I have had something taken away from me by an entity that has no grounds to do what they did.”


The USGA has accused Schmidt of being a self-promoter, saying that he can just reapply for his amateur status. The 28-year-old has countered saying that he’d already paid entry fees for a number of events and that the reapplication process takes too long.


The court is set to make its judgement later today.



Tags: Poker News, When, is, a, pro, not, a, pro?