When Wyndham Clark faced hostile fan behavior during the U.S. Open last month, Jordan Spieth theorized that legalized sports betting is the reason. According to Spieth, fans who had wagered against Clark on the field had financial motives to disturb his play. Several media and governing bodies have picked up on his theory and are discussing it. During the 154th Open press conference, when Matt Fitzpatrick and Tommy Fleetwood were asked whether golf's unique proximity between fans and players makes betting-driven heckling worse than in other sports, neither dodged the tension at the heart of the issue. However, both diverged on whether betting is the root cause or a symptom of a broader crowd-control challenge.
Fitzpatrick said: "I've had my fair share. I would say every golfer who's played a professional tournament has received a message of abuse from someone related to gambling. I mean, you could see it this week. You go and type in a player's name who maybe isn't playing well, maybe someone who's favored to play well, you type the name into Twitter, and you'll see their name followed by abuse after abuse after abuse."
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"I don't know; obviously, I don't condone gambling in the slightest. It doesn't—it's not really for me. For me, it's definitely becoming a problem, and the issue is, particularly in golf, it would be very easy to influence a bet, whether you're shouting at someone's backswing or shouting about a putting stroke. It's really easy. Obviously, that is really hard to monitor, but it is definitely an issue."
Fitzpatrick endured sustained abuse at last year's Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black. Fans mocked his sketches and his braces alongside the broader heckling directed at the team. Months later, spectators booed him on the 18th tee of the Players Championship and made 'U.S.A.' chants as he battled Cameron Young for the title. He shrugged off the heckling moments later, but highlighted that the heckling fits a recurring pattern.
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The 5x PGA Tour winner explained how betting targets players beyond the course. The taunts don't just stay in the stands but also follow players to their phones. Managing social media drama becomes an added cause of mental abuse that players go through. He also added that he has dealt with it himself by stepping away from social media entirely.
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Players and officials face misconduct and are attempting to curb it. Spieth and Fitzpatrick see betting as the root. Fleetwood, however, has a different take on it.
Tommy Fleetwood weighs in on the hostile crowds
According to Fleetwood, betting has embedded itself in golf's fan culture as it has across every major sport. He further points out that occasional stray comments from bettors are things a player should be able to filter out on their own.
Fleetwood said at the same conference: "I don't think it's ever really been my experience. I think you're probably aware of people who are betting, and you might get somebody telling you a putt breaks right to left instead of left to right, but you should be able to figure that out on your own. It's a really tricky one. I think the crowds are a huge part of it, of golf, and I think it's hard—it's difficult to—it's really difficult to ask everyone to behave in a manner that you would want them to behave in while wanting the atmosphere to be as big as possible and as good as possible. I think that's always tricky."
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The bigger issue, in his view, isn't gambling. It's the near-impossible balancing act of wanting 200,000 fans to create noise and spectacle while also expecting every single one of them to behave.
The conversation also becomes relevant as Royal Birkdale has introduced a strict spectator code of conduct for this week's Open. It is a response to a pattern of incidents rather than a single flashpoint, including objects thrown at Royal Liverpool in 2023.
Fleetwood has his own frame of reference here, too. He has played alongside Rory McIlroy in both foursomes sessions at last year's Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black. As previously reported, McIlroy and his wife, Erica, faced sustained personal abuse, including a chant led by the event's own first tee emcee before getting pulled from her role. He stood next to McIlroy through most of it and afterwards made a point of not blaming the wider crowd, arguing only a small minority had crossed the line, separating a hostile atmosphere from personal attacks.
Fleetwood has also consistently rated open crowds in the northwest of England among the best he has played in front of, and sounds confident this week that he would avoid the scenes that overshadowed his recent majors. Fitzpatrick and Fleetwood will tee off at Royal Birkdale. Whether the new code of conduct holds up under the same pressure is still an open question.
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