The surge of legal sports betting has led to a new reality for many professional sports leagues, including the PGA Tour.
This past week, the 124th U.S. Open was held at Pinehurst No. 2, a course located in North Carolina. The state legalized online sports betting back on March 11, and numerous fans in attendance were heard making references about their golf wagers to players competing at the major event, according to the Washington Post.
Remarks were made about the winner, Bryson DeChambeau, during Round 3 on Saturday, with one spectator yelling about his $100 wager placed on the LIV golfer to shoot over 70.5 on his round score. The same spectator also admitted to placing another $100 round score wager on Hideki Matsuyama to shoot under 71.5 in Round 3. DeChambeau would go on to shoot 67 in Round 3, while Matsuyama cashed the other ticket with a final round score of 70 on Saturday.
“We hear everything. It’s not like we’re oblivious to it,” said DeChambeau, who wound up winning his second U.S. Open title on Sunday. “Whether betting is a good thing or not is up for debate. I personally think if it can help grow the game and bring in a bigger audience, I’m all about it.”
Collin Morikawa also admitted to hearing fans yell about their bets.
“In many other sports you would never hear that because you’re not that close and it’s too loud.” the two-time major winner said. “It’s just funny to think that we would play harder just for them.”
Max Homa, who failed to make the cut at Pinehurst No. 2 this week, believes the majority of betting comments heard during tournaments are done with good intentions. His primary concern stems from off-the-course antics, such as online harassment.
In the MLB, there have already been reported incidents of players and other personnel getting harassed on social media. This includes death threats aimed at an unnamed MLB general manager, leading to requested police protection.
The evolution of sports betting and live events
This year was the first time a U.S. Open has been played in a state with legal sports betting, giving spectators the ability to place live wagers on hundreds of unique betting markets across several licensed online sportsbook operators from their mobile devices.
Throughout the years at golf events, non-public information has been crucial for bettors to gain an edge against sportsbooks and oddsmakers. For instance, attending practice sessions to gain an edge on how a player is set to perform at a particular course, is frowned upon by sportsbook operators. This is similar to the act of “courtsiding,” which is a term for spectators placing live wagers on outcomes that have already occurred. Due to geotracking features built into all of the licensed and regulated online sportsbook operators, this practice of courtsiding has been mostly eliminated by suspending accounts placing these types of wagers by tracking their exact location.
One of the PGA Tour veterans, Matt Kuchar, is hesitant about the rapid integration of sports betting and its impact on the game of golf.
“You hope that it doesn’t come to the point where you need to do something that lessens the fans’ enjoyment of the game,” Kuchar said. “The potential for fan interference concerns me.”
