Rory McIlroy has warned that golf is particularly vulnerable to disruption from spectators with money riding on individual outcomes, adding to pressure on tournament organisers and betting operators to address the effect of wagering on fan behaviour.
Speaking before The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, McIlroy said the proximity of spectators to players made the sport easier to influence than many other professional competitions.
“You could see how people that have a bet could influence it. It’s a very easy game to influence. The crowd aren’t far away from you,” McIlroy says.
He adds that crowd behaviour in Britain has generally remained respectful despite the country’s long established betting market, but acknowledged that he had experienced incidents that appeared to be connected to wagers.
McIlroy’s comments follow similar concerns from Jordan Spieth, Jon Rahm and Wyndham Clark about spectators calling for missed shots or attempting to distract players whose performance could affect a bet.
The debate has intensified following hostile treatment directed at Clark during the US Open and wider criticism of crowd conduct at recent golf events. Spieth has said the relationship between betting and spectator behaviour will need to be addressed by the sport.
The R&A has introduced a spectator code called The Open Commitment for the Championship at Royal Birkdale. It requires fans to remain quiet while shots are played, avoid inappropriate comments and celebrate in a fair and sporting manner. Serious or repeated breaches can result in removal from the course.
More than 300,000 spectators are expected to attend the tournament, increasing the operational challenge facing marshals, security teams and betting integrity personnel.
McIlroy stopped short of blaming betting for wider crowd problems, but his intervention places greater scrutiny on how golf manages spectators whose financial interests may conflict directly with fair play.
