Fans’ behavior toward Wyndham Clark at the 2026 US Open was a major topic of conversation. Some analysts said that fans wanted to see Scottie Scheffler complete his career Grand Slam. Others said that it was Clark’s behavior at Oakmont that enraged the fans. Jordan Spieth, however, believes that not just the Shinnecock Hills incident, but many negative fan behavior moments in recent years are associated with a whole different thing.

“I think you had some unique circumstances there. 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 verse 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 said in a presser at the John Deere Classic.

“I’ve also played rounds with guys who were not treated well 10, 15 years ago. I don’t think it’s a crazy new thing. I do think the Bethpage Ryder Cup was, from what I understand, maybe a lingering effect from that with an American versus European. You know, Cam Young, Fitzpatrick, THE PLAYERS. I’m trying to single them out for you, but I wasn’t a part of either one of them. 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.”

Jordan Spieth is someone who notices and values crowd energy. But that energy seems to be veering in the wrong direction recently. You would have seen that during the final round of the 2018 Open Championship, a fan shouted right in the middle of Tiger Woods’ down swing, and it made him visibly flinch. Then, a fan yelled during Mardy Fish’s backswing on the final hole of the American Century Celebrity Championship 2023 to distract him so Steph Curry could win.

There was the 2025 Ryder Cup incident, in which almost every European team member faced heckling. From chants of “F**k you, Rory!” to body shaming Robert MacIntyre, fans at Bethpage Black were brutal. Then there’s also the most recent example of what went down with Wyndham Clark during the final round of the US Open 2026. Fans threw comments like “don’t choke Wyndham” and “get in the bunker.”

While there could be many reasons behind that, the betting context could not be ignored. Jay Croucher, director of sports analytics for PointsBet, said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times that placing wagers means that fans are more invested in who wins.

“These fans are able to engage and feel like they are a part of each player’s lives by putting them on their team,” Bryson DeChambeau said about sports betting.

This issue is growing along with the sports betting industry. A Research and Markets study notes that the industry was already worth $108.92 billion in 2024. It is now estimated to grow at a CAGR of around 10% to reach $198.53 billion by 2030.

What makes golf more challenging is that fans are very close to the golfers. This allows on-course spectators to “actually impact the outcome” of the hole, the 32-year-old said.

Jordan Spieth isn’t the only one to feel it is betting’s fault. At the 2023 Tour Championship, Spanish professional Jon Rahm also made a similar statement.

“I feel like we hear it every single round,” the Spaniard said. “In golf, spectators are very close, and even if they’re not directly talking to you, they’re close enough to where if they say to their buddy, ‘I bet you 10 bucks he’s going to miss it,’ you hear it.”

He even went on to say that the PGA Tour should address the issue before it gets out of hand. Fans are so close to players in golf that even yelling could easily affect an athlete’s game.

It’s not just his thoughts on fan behavior that Jordan Spieth shared at the presser. He also commented on the latest approved schedule change coming to the PGA Tour.

Jordan Spieth speaks on the PGA Tour’s two-tiered system and relegation

The PGA Tour unveiled the new two-tier system it created in coordination with the Tiger Woods-led Future Competition Committee. CEO Brian Rolapp announced that there will be the Championship and the Challenger Series. With that, the professionals will be facing a promotion and relegation system.

When asked about the same, Jordan Spieth said that such a system was already in place.

“I think there’s always been that. It’s just where is the number and how clean can you make it for essentially everybody to understand, but we had a 125,” he said.

That number may now change based on the number of professionals the PGA Tour decides to place in relegation. He also said that the process has become clearer now, but it is not exactly new.

As golf continues to balance growing gambling interest with its uniquely close player-fan interactions, the concerns raised by Jordan Spieth and others suggest the Tour may soon have to confront an issue that extends beyond the ropes.