Fans’ behavior toward Wyndham Clark at the 2026 U.S. 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 only the Shinnecock Hills incident but many recent incidents of fan misconduct stem from a different cause.

“I think you had some unique circumstances there. 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 have essentially, you know, placed $100 to $10,000, depending on who it is, on the field versus somebody else,” Spieth said in a press conference at the John Deere Classic.

Jordan Spieth is someone who notices and values crowd energy. But that energy seems to be veering in the wrong direction recently. Aside from Clark, a fan yelled during Rory McIlroy’s backswing at the U.S. Open. The Ulsterman gave a fitting response afterward. In recent years, even fan-favorite golfers from Brooks Koepka and Rickie Fowler to Jordan Spieth faced heckling and boos from the crowd. Spieth, in fact, highlighted a few incidents to support his argument.

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“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 [players]. You know, Cam Young, [Matt] 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.”

Spieth was alluding to the loud boos Fitzpatrick, an Englishman, endured when he went head to head against Cameron Young, an American at TPC Sawgrass. While Spieth suggested that the lingering effect of the Ryder Cup could be one reason, 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, Spieth said.

“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.”

The three-time major winner isn’t the only one to suggest betting is causing a problem. 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 a golfer.

It’s not just his thoughts on fan behavior that Jordan Spieth shared at the press conference. Spieth also discussed the PGA Tour’s latest schedule changes during his press conference.

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.