Spieth Worries About Impact Sports Betting is Having on Golf
David Genge Published 08/07/2026
Golfer Jordan Spieth is concerned about the negative impact that sports betting is having on the PGA Tour. The three-time major winner believes that people betting on sports is the root cause of a noticeable change in the behavior of spectators in the gallery at PGA Tour events. Heckling fans sought to disrupt golfer Wyndham Clark during the final round of the U.S. Open.
Spieth believes some of this unruliness from golf galleries is being fueled by people betting on golf. He's calling on the PGA Tour to enact some kind of changes to rein in sports betting on golf.
Spieth believes that golfers could be in danger
Golf has traditionally been a very staid sport. Galleries have always cheered on their favorite players, but catcalling and heckling of players was frowned upon. It was seen as a sign of someone lacking in golf etiquette. Violators of this code would be removed from PGA Tour galleries and banned from the golf course.
Lately, though, crowds at major golf events have become more unruly and have taken to making personal attacks on specific players. Spieth believes that it has to do with the fact that people can now legally bet on golf.
"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," Spieth said, according to reporting from USA Today Golfweek.
Spieth specifically cited the abuse Clark took while competing in the final round at last month's U.S. Open, a tournament Clark ultimately won.
Clark was playing in the final group with World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, the pre-tournament betting favorite. Spieth thinks he knows the root cause of that abuse that was heaped upon Clark.
"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," Spieth said, "You could have had people out there that essentially, you know, have $100 to $10,000, depending on who it is, on the field versus somebody else."
Intimacy of golf galleries allows bettors the chance to impact outcomes
No other sport lets the fans get as close to the participants as golf does. Galleries can literally be within a foot of a golfer, with only a thin rope separating the parties.
"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 in golf. So I don't know how much that's having to do with it, if it's different than it used to be."
Something has to change, but what?
Spieth thinks golf needs to implement some sort of change in regulations on how people can bet on the sport. He's just not certain what that change might be.
Sports organizations like MLB and the NCAA, for example, are assessing how prop betting in their sports is leading to harassment of athletes.
"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," Spieth said.
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