What happened to Cameron Todd?

I've been somewhat out of the loop as far as following the top pro's, but I remember Cameron Todd taking the tour by storm years ago. I was just curious if there was some sort of story as to why I haven't heard anything about him recently.

[beatz]

he quit playing disc golf after he was fined. He had the option to payback the money he won from a certain event or a suspension, he chose the suspension and quit.

[Matt Jankowski]

Interesting!

beatz said:

he quit playing disc golf after he was fined. He had the option to payback the money he won from a certain event or a suspension, he chose the suspension and quit.

[Jason Allind]

I believe he has been playing ball golf and is on the Hooter's tour, so i've heard. He supposedly is pretty good too!

[Terry Sink]

who fined him and how much?

[Hootie]

Why was he fined?

[Ben Calhoun]

Alternative, and much better, option to being banned or suspended from the Tour, just for him on that occasion. Ask my dad, he had something to do with it..

Mark Stephens said:

Are you sure about this fine business? I don't see anywhere in the PDGA rules where they can fine you. They can suspend you...

804.05

C. A player in violation of any section
under 804.05 A is also subject to
suspension from the PDGA Tour.
Suspension from the PDGA Tour
may only be assigned by the PDGA
Commissioner. A player may appeal his
or her suspension to the PDGA Board of
Directors. The determination to suspend,
and the length of the suspension, shall
804.03–804.04 Page 20 804.04–804.05 Page 21
be based on the severity of the action and
the extent to which the player may have
committed repeated violations.

[beatz]

here is what i had heard, this is all second hand so who knows what really went on.


in 04 he had an issue with a td. Went after him and belittled him to the point where the td basically threw him off the course. Cam left with his winnings to go play the 04 marshall street disc golf championship. The pdga commish then told jason southwick to not let cam play untill he gives jason a check for his previous winnings or his understanding of a suspension. Jason didnt want to be the pdga messanger boy and decided he wasnt gonna get in the middle of the cam pdga fight. Cam played the msdgc and went on his mary way. Taking the suspension and not coming back again.


Please if anyone knows more its terry. As he was on the board at that time, terry any info?? i dont want to open a can of worms but there have been so many stories that have floated around we all want to know.

[JC]

beatz said:

here is what i had heard, this is all second hand so who knows what really went on.


in 04 he had an issue with a td. Went after him and belittled him to the point where the td basically threw him off the course. Cam left with his winnings to go play the 04 marshall street disc golf championship. The pdga commish then told jason southwick to not let cam play untill he gives jason a check for his previous winnings or his understanding of a suspension. Jason didnt want to be the pdga messanger boy and decided he wasnt gonna get in the middle of the cam pdga fight. Cam played the msdgc and went on his mary way. Taking the suspension and not coming back again.


Please if anyone knows more its terry. As he was on the board at that time, terry any info?? i dont want to open a can of worms but there have been so many stories that have floated around we all want to know.

Not quite. Don't take Southwick's word for everything, he sees the world through Jason-tinted glasses, which isn't necessarily reality to the rest of us.

My understanding of it was that Jason in fact did deliver what he was asked to deliver to Cam, no matter how distressed it made him. Cam appealed his suspension and the compromise was something along the lines of having to donate his USDGC winnings (a suspension would have prevented him from playing the event) to a pre-determined charity and then going on probation. That's what happened, but Cam went beyond probation and dropped out of sight as far as the tour was concerned. To Cam's credit, he played his ass off in that USDGC (2nd or 3rd, I believe) despite having no personal stake in it (he could have tanked and won nothing).

But like Ben said, Terry knows more. He was on the PDGA BOD at the time I think.

[Chas Ford]

I think JC did get it right... tied for 2nd five strokes behind Ken Climo... Cam was a very focused and intence golfer. When things were going well he was great. If things were going poorly... get out of the way. He was one of my favorite people to play with as a doubles partner.

[Scott Kickbusch]

It was at the Brent Hambrick Memorial in 2004 when he went over the line. For those of you for whom Brent Hambrick is just a tournament name, Brent was an early top pro. He also was a promoter of the sport and served as the TD for the Columbus Open, which is now renamed in his honor. Brent died too early from leukemia, and the BHM always donates money to the Leukemia Society in his honor. Suffice to say, the BHM is a bad place to act like a selfish brat.

Here is a post from Jay Svitko, the Marshall that was at the event:

As for the Cam Todd incident, this is a Readers Digest version.... I was in the scorers tent when I heard an "Uhoh" from Jennifer Botte & Michelle Janney, whom I was assisting. I looked up to see Cam Todd in TD Dan Busick's face, yelling "This was the worst tournament I have been to! You didn't run this tournament for the player, you ran it to...." I don't remeber the rest. The tournament was over for Todd so DQ'ing him was useless.
Ben Botte & the staff did, however, lodge a formal complaint with the Guru & the PDGA front office the next morning and a report was required of me of the incidents I was up against (there were 6 major ones of note). I received note that Theo Pozzy & Brian Hoeniger were going to review the reports & complaints and we should all hear something before The Worlds.

My understanding is that he said something to the effect that Dan just held the tournament so he could get his picture taken handing a check the Leukemia Society. If my friend had died from leukemia and some spoiled brat had said that to me, I'd have decked him.

Anyway, Cam had a long history of boorish behavior, so he got suspended for four months. He appealed and got probation plus he had to donate all his winning from USDGC to the Leukemia Society. To his credit, Cam showed up when he didn't have to and tied for second. The Leukemia Society got a $4,000.00 check. Then he walked away and became a rumor. Over time he becomes more and more of a legend. In reality he was a very talented player, maybe the best putter ever, who never was able to behave himself long enough to stay out of trouble. He and the sport are probably better off with him gone.

[Ben Calhoun]

I also believe he had the opportunity to make more on tour and not keeping those winnings than by not being able to play any events. Then, a cancer society got 4,000$, how great for all!

[Mike]

To say the least I think there is a good lesson to be learned from Cam. You can still be a intense player with out being an ass. It's fine if you have problems with the PDGA, but if that's the case then don't participate in the events, someone else will be happy to take your place. EVERY disc golf player is replaceable, I don't care what your name is. No one goes to a tournament to hear all your gripes and complaints and temper tantrums, you are not that important. All it takes is a little humility, be humble. Personally I think Cameron Todd would have shown more character to keep on playing and turn his act around, instead of acting like a child and just not playing anymore. He reminds me of a "Munson" more so than a myth of a legend.