Jordan Spieth raised concerns about gambling’s impact on golf ahead of the John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run in Illinois. Spieth was asked if crowds are getting rowdier following Wyndham Clark’s treatment at the U.S. Open.
“I do think that betting in golf is something that’s going to have to be tackled here soon,” Spieth said, unprovoked.
Spieth broke down exactly how betting could have played into the Clark situation at Shinnecock Hills.
“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.”
He then explained why golf is uniquely exposed compared to other sports.
“In golf it’s tricky because you could actually impact the outcome if you wanted to. 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. So I don’t know how much that’s having to do with it, if it’s different than it used to be.”
Spieth said fan vitriol itself isn’t “a crazy new thing,” but tied its rise directly to betting. “Most of it now has to do with betting, and that is in the last five years,” he said.
Clark endured heckling throughout the weekend at Shinnecock Hills, with fans shouting lines like “get in the bunker” and “don’t choke, Wyndham” immediately after his shots. Some spectators were ejected for their conduct. The outbursts were tied to lingering fallout from Clark’s locker room incident at Oakmont the year before.
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The heckling followed a similar scene at the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, roughly 60 miles from Shinnecock. Golf Channel’s Eamon Lynch called Long Island fans a “stain” on the sport in the aftermath of that event.
Sports gambling has been legalized in 39 states since 2018. Illinois, host of this week’s John Deere Classic, is among the 32 states that allow online betting.
