Jordan Spieth was asked Tuesday about the apparent rise in heckling at PGA Tour events and the major championships. The reporter didn’t mention betting, but Spieth was quick to take it there.
The golf world, just like the sports world writ large, has grappled with the legalization and then the proliferation of sports betting in the United States. Spieth made the connection between sports betting and increasingly unruly galleries during his pre-tournament press conference at the John Deere Classic in Silvis, Ill.
Specifically, Spieth discussed Wyndham Clark winning the U.S. Open on June 21 while most of the crowd seemed to be vocally against him throughout the weekend.
“I think you had some unique circumstances there,” Spieth said. “I don’t know. I mean, I think the one thing that I’ll point out is I do think that betting in golf is something that’s going to have to be tackled here soon, because I don’t know how much of, say, the Wyndham scenario was the fact that it was enticing to bet the field versus Wyndham on Sunday in a legalized betting state, and you could have had people out there that are essentially, you know, have $100 to $10,000, depending on who it is, on the field versus somebody else.”
Spieth pointed out the very nature of attending a golf tournament. Unlike in many sports, where spectators are far enough removed from the court or field of play, a heckler in golf is close enough to shout during a backswing and affect the outcome he is betting on in one direction or another.
“In golf it’s tricky because you could actually impact the outcome if you wanted to,” Spieth said. “It may not last very long, but you could impact a shot if you wanted to. I don’t know of another sport that you could impact as a fan like you can golf.”
The three-time major champion went on to add that unruly fans, while in the spotlight now, are not a new phenomenon altogether.
“I’ve also played rounds with guys who were not treated well 10, 15 years ago,” he said. “I don’t think it’s a crazy new thing. I do think the Bethpage (Black) Ryder Cup was, from what I understand, maybe a lingering effect from that with an American (versus) European (angle).
“You know, Cam Young (and Matt Fitzpatrick at) The Players,” Spieth added, citing fans at The Players Championship vocally rooting against Fitzpatrick in the final round. “I’m trying to single them out for you, but I wasn’t a part of either one of them, but I will say that from what I’ve seen, a lot of times it has to do with betting, and that is in the last five years.
“We’ll see what happens with that.”
Nobody, not even bettors, are likely to root against Spieth this weekend at TPC Deere Run. A longtime fan favorite on tour, Spieth is pursuing his first win since the 2022 RBC Heritage. He won the John Deere in 2013 — his first PGA Tour title — and 2015.
“There’s been a consistency level that was better than years past,” Spieth said. “The last month I felt like I played kind of the same level of golf and didn’t get a whole lot out of it. I had some opportunities in some big events to obviously maintain kind of the trajectory I was on.
“I’m not letting it get to me. I feel like my game is in a really good state. I’m more consistent and an all-around better player than I’ve been in a long time. If I stay the course, the results will come.”
–Field Level Media
