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<\/p>\nBratty, petulant and downright rude New Yorkers were singled out as the new scourge on golf in the wake of Wyndham Clark\u2019s ugly final round treatment as he won a second U.S Open last month.<\/p>\n
But sports betting has emerged as equally to blame for unruly golfing crowds and the impact is hitting players off-course as well.<\/p>\n
The spectators at Shinnecock Hills were ruthless in heckling Clark, who had become that rare thing – a golfing villain, partly because he trashed a locker at Oakmont the previous year, partly because he wasn\u2019t Scottie Scheffler, who the locals on Long Island wanted to win.<\/p>\n
It was the second instance in the not-too-distant past of the geographical location being lumped in as the main contributor to ugly behaviour after the 2025 Ryder Cup, played at Bethpage Black, also in New York, descended into scenes more suited to a night at the MMA.<\/p>\n
There were even calls from some leading commentators urging golf\u2019s governing bodies to abstain from sending any top-level tournaments anywhere near New York in the future.<\/p>\n
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The crowd was not right behind Wyndham Clark at the US Open. (Photo by Kate McShane\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
A move from the R&A ahead of the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, however, and the response from several players to it, paints location as only part of the reason behind the increasing level of bad behaviour outside the ropes.<\/p>\n
Last week, the R&A announced a new code of conduct which the 300,000 fans set to attend Royal Birkdale would be expected to abide by.<\/p>\n
In a clear response to what was seen at the U.S Open, it published “The Open Commitment”, asking everyone to “play their part in protecting traditions”.<\/p>\n
“It is built on a shared respect for the players, the course, fellow fans and the traditions of the Championship,” R&A chief executive Mark Darbon said.<\/p>\n
To ram home the message, on-course signs will tell fans to respect the players, respect the links and respect each other.<\/p>\n
Cops are booting people for shouting \u201cDon\u2019t choke Wyndham!\u201d as he sets up to his shot. This young man got bounced for saying it before Clark\u2019s tee shot at No. 4 pic.twitter.com\/M1d1ZO687u<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Kevin Van Valkenburg (@KVanValkenburg) June 21, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n The Open has not been immune from unruly fans, either. Last year\u2019s winner, Scheffler, recalled in the weeks after his victory that even he heard some \u201cfairly choice words\u201d at Royal Portrush.<\/p>\n Those incidents aside, however, expectations from the leading players questioned about the behaviour of fans at The Open painted a picture of a code of conduct being unnecessary.<\/p>\n Even Clark said fans at the event were \u201cthe best\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThe fans really respect the game, they respect the players, and they really understand golf,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you hit it into a tough spot and make the correct play or the smart play, the prudent play, they clap; they understand sometimes 20 feet is a great shot. So, yeah, I really enjoy the fans over here.\u201d<\/p>\n But that level of respect and appreciation has a limit, and that limit can be hit should an errant drive or missed birdie hit fans in the hip pocket.<\/p>\n Sports betting was isolated by players, including Matt Fitzpatrick, as an increasing cause of heckling both on-course as well as off it.<\/p>\n He went to great lengths to spell out his experience, and the negative impact it was having on once genteel golfing crowds.<\/p>\n \u201cYou just look at all the messages people get – footballers, tennis players, you name it; everyone’s getting messages of, oh, you missed that penalty; you cost me this. Oh, you didn’t make a birdie; you cost me this,\u201d he said ahead of the opening round.<\/p>\n Matt Fitzpatrick has his say at The Open. (Photo by Michael Reaves\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n \u201cI’ve had my fair share. I would say every golfer that’s played a professional tournament has had a message of abuse from someone that is related to gambling.<\/p>\n \u201cI mean, you could see it this week. You go and type in a player’s name who maybe isn’t playing well, maybe someone who’s favoured to play well, you type the name into Twitter [X] and you’ll just see their name followed by abuse after abuse after abuse.\u201d<\/p>\n Clark said some fans didn\u2019t hide why they were belittling players when they had bet on them.<\/p>\n \u201cThe amount of times we hear guys in tournaments saying, \u2018Oh, Wyndham, I have you at 30-to-1 to win this week or 100-to-1. I\u2019m betting on you\u2019,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThat happens all the time. So I do think in some instances that is definitely one of the culprits.\u201d<\/p>\n Tommy Fleetwood, a local at Birkdale expecting to feel plenty of love from spectators, said his experiences elsewhere of betting impacting fans were real.<\/p>\n \u201cI think you’re aware probably of people who are betting and you might get somebody telling you a putt breaks right to left instead of left to right,\u201d he said. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s a really tricky one. I think the crowds are a huge part of it, of golf, and I think it’s hard … it’s difficult to … it’s really difficult to ask everyone behave in a manner that you would want them to behave, while wanting the atmosphere to be as big as possible and as good as possible. I think that’s always tricky.<\/p>\n \u201cBetting isn’t going to go away, and I think you don’t want the crowds to be any smaller, or it’s hard to change people in terms of how they want to be when you go to a golf tournament.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n Fitzpatrick, like Fleetwood, was part of the European Ryder Cup team at Bethpage and saw firsthand how unruly it was.<\/p>\n He revelled in his team\u2019s victory in such a harsh environment.<\/p>\n He said golf\u2019s evolution demanded more atmosphere at tournaments, but the negativity created by sports betting, as opposed to general rambunctious behaviour, was playing out for all to see.<\/p>\n \u201cI’m all for the game developing, though, and bringing in different people. I want an atmosphere at a golf tournament,\u201d he said. \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cRyder Cup, playing away from home, succeeding in those atmospheres, there’s not a much better feeling. I am all for an atmosphere. Obviously I don’t want it to cross a line.<\/p>\n \u201cI don’t do any of my social media anymore. I’ve stayed off it just because \u00a0\u2026 like I said, you just search my name, anyone’s name, and you will find just tweet after tweet of just straight abuse. It’s not right.\u201d<\/p>\n Southport’s own @TommyFleetwood1<\/a> taking some time to meet fans at Royal Birkdale.<\/p>\n Watch Live at the Range: https:\/\/t.co\/SPpmcmIxV3<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/Q2YnhhamxZ<\/a><\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1784013556_414_ImageResizer.ashx.jpeg\"\/)
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