Overview
- Matt Fitzpatrick said on Monday that gambling has produced widespread, targeted abuse of golfers on social media and that nearly every player has received gambling-linked messages.
- He warned that in golf it is easy for a spectator to influence a bet by shouting during a backswing or a putt, and said such actions are hard to monitor at tournaments.
- Fitzpatrick said he largely avoids public social media because of the negativity and he criticized social platforms for poor handling of abusive content.
- His remarks echo Jordan Spieth’s recent comments about heckling at the U.S. Open but the PGA Tour has not announced new spectator or betting-specific rules in response.
- The issue links to two bigger tensions in the sport: rapid growth in legal betting since 2018 and commercial partnerships with major sportsbooks, which complicate calls for stronger crowd controls and platform oversight.