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It’s safe to say Jordan Spieth wants sports fandom to go back to the way it used to be.
Ahead of the John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run in Illinois, Spieth was asked if he felt the golf public was more rowdy in the wake of Wyndham Clark’s treatment at the US Open, and Spieth blamed much of that on gambling.
“I think betting on golf is something that needs to be addressed here soon,” Spieth said offhandedly.
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Jordan Spieth lines up a putt on the tenth green during the first round of the WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale in Scottsdale, Arizona on February 5, 2026. (Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
“I don’t know how much of, for example, the Wyndham scenario was the fact that it was enticing to bet on the field against Wyndham on Sunday in a legalized betting state and you could have had people out there who essentially, you know, have $100 to $10,000, depending on who it is, on the field versus somebody else.
“In golf, it’s tricky because you can actually affect the outcome if you wanted to. It might not last very long, but you can affect a shot if you wanted to. I don’t know of another sport that you can affect as a fan like you can golf. So I don’t know how much it has to do with it if it’s different than it usually is.”
Jordan Spieth of the United States tees off the third hole during the second round of the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday at Muirfield Village Golf Club on June 5, 2026 in Dublin, OH. (Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) ((Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images))
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Spieth said fan vitriol isn’t “a crazy new thing,” but most of it now “has to do with betting, and it’s within the last five years.”
It should be known that Spieth was once an ambassador for FanDuel.
Clark’s taunt came at Shinnecock Hills in the Hamptons, about 60 miles away from Bethpage Black, where fans became the subject of controversy during the Ryder Cup. It prompted Golf Channel’s Eamon Lynch to call Long Island fans a “stain” on golf who didn’t deserve another major golf event in their area.
Jordan Spieth tees off on the fourth hole during the second round of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles on February 16, 2024. (Ryan Kang/AP)
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Sports betting has been legalized in 39 states since 2018 – only Nevada had allowed it before. 32 of these states, including Illinois, allow online betting.
