Elliot Saltman won't appeal despite passing a 'lie detector' test

ELLIOT Saltman will not be appealing against a three-month ban from the European Tour despite taking a "lie-detector" test that proved strong backing for his assertion that he is not a cheat.

The 28-year-old, who was handed the punishment after being found guilty of incorrectly marking his ball during a Challenge Tour event, is still adamant that he has been wrongly convicted, hence the reason he decided off his own back to commission a polygraph test.

As part of that, Saltman was asked if he had incorrectly marked his ball in Russia or had ever cheated during his professional career and, to both questions, answered "no", leaving an expert to conclude that "it is my professional opinion that the examinee is truthful".

Despite that, the player has decided not to put up a fight, feeling he'd prefer to try and put the controversy behind him and get on with his career, even though he admits he is going to have to live with the stigma of being branded as a cheat.

However, his decision was also influenced by his legal advisors warning 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".

Saltman said: "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 was reported by his two playing partners, Marcus Higley and Stuart Davis, after they claimed he had incorrectly marked his ball on five separate occasions in the M2M Russian Challenge Cup last September.The Scot was disqualifed from the event but then had to wait until the end of January for a disciplinary hearing.

That took place in Abu Dhabi, where a committee made up of players decided on a three-month ban after finding Saltman had committed "a serious breach of rules" - the first time a player had been hit with such a punishment for cheating since the Swede, Johan Tumba, was suspended for 10 years in 1992 after altering his scorecard at the qualifying school.

While Saltman has come under fire from some of the world's leading players in the wake of that decision, he claims others have indicated their belief that the relatively short length of the suspension indicated that the tournament committee which handed out the ban also had a degree of sympathy for his position.

He added: "I love the game of golf, and I respect its traditions. I deeply regret any problems the publicity surrounding this matter has brought to the game of golf or to the European Tour. I don't cheat, and I don't knowingly break the rules. I hope that I can be allowed to put this deeply unhappy, and in my view unfair, episode behind me and get on with the rest of my career."

Before making that decision, however, he decided to take a polygraph test, which was carried out by an examiner who is a member of both the American and British Polygraph Associations. According to his statement, Saltman was asked the following questions:

l During the 2010 Russian Open Golf did you incorrectly mark your golf ball at any time?

lDuring your professional career, have ever even cheated at any golf tournament?

In replying "no" to both questions, the statement claimed the examiner found no traces of stress in the answers and concluded "it is my professional opinion that the examinee is truthful."

However, Saltman has decided to let the matter lie and it looks as though his lawyers have advised him that his case would have been a difficult one to win under the Tour's current disciplinary procedure.

The statement added: "An inability under European Tour rules to obtain full statements from the witnesses who claimed Elliot had incorrectly marked his ball in advance of the appeal, plus the possibility that the appeal might be heard by the same people who made the original decision, also persuaded Elliot and his lawyers that the likelihood of success was seriously hampered."

Saltman, who secured his European Tour card for the first time as he was awaiting a disciplinary hearing, will be eligible to return to the circuit for the Volvo China Open in mid-April, but is unlikely to secure a place in that due to it being a co-sanctioned event.

The Ballantine's Championship in Seoul the following week and the Spanish Open in Barcelona the week after will also be events he'll probably have to sit out, meaning the Iberdrola Open in Mallorca on 12-15 May is a more likey event for him to return to competitive golf at the top level.In the meantime, he could turn to third-tier circuits like the Hi5 Tour, having already played in one event on that a fortnight ago in Spain.