Jon Rahm: “We hear it every single round”

Jon Rahm believes the PGA Tour must intervene to avoid gambling-related incidents from getting out of hand.

Speaking ahead of the Tour Championship, the 28-year-old said comments from betting fans are far more common than people expect.

It comes after two fans were ejected from the BMW Championship last week, as FedEx Cup contender Max Homa was heckled when putting.

Rahm said: “I feel like we hear it every single round. That happens way more often than you guys may hear. I mean, it’s very, very present.

“In golf, spectators are very close, and even if they’re not directly talking to you, they’re close enough to where if they say to their buddy, I bet you ten bucks he’s going to miss it, you hear it.

The Spaniard, who will start four shots behind Scottie Scheffler in Atlanta this week, argued Jay Monahan’s tour ‘should look into it’, so it doesn’t ‘get out of hand’.

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The tour chief said that the incident involving Homa was ‘unfortunate’, but backed the support players receive on a weekly basis.

Monahan said: “Our fans have great appreciation for the integrity of the competition. They’re respectful of our players. We have seen that continue to be the case and expect that to continue to be the case.”

On the 17th green during the third round at Olympia Fields, one fan, who had a $3 bet on the outcome of a Max Homa putt, shouted ‘pull it’ as he struck the ball from five feet.

The 32-year-old made the putt as he went on to finish tied fifth in the second leg of the FedEx Cup play-offs, boasting a first prize of $3.6 million.

But after the round, Homa blasted the spectators as he shared concerns over the likeliness of these incidents taking place.

He said: “I love that people can gamble on golf, but that is one thing I’m worried about. It’s just always something that’s on your mind.

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“It’s on us to stay focused or whatever, but it’s just annoying when it happens.

“Fans are so great about being quiet when we play. When anybody ever talks, it’s so unintentional. They don’t know we’re hitting. It just sucks when it’s incredibly intentional.”

A similar incident occurred in January involving Jordan Spieth, as the American confronted a pair of rowdy spectators at the Sentry Tournament of Champions.

Spieth heard the fans gambling and exchanging money off the back of the green as he made par on the 12th hole.

With a large following so close to the players, Rahm reckons it would be ‘extremely difficult’ for the tour to control, amid worries of the issue escalating.

He said: “It’s very easy in golf if you want to affect somebody. You’re so close, you can yell at the wrong time, and it’s very easy for that to happen.”

John Turnbull A graduate of the University of Stirling, John joined the bunkered team in 2023 as a Content Producer, with a responsibility for covering all breaking news, tour news, grassroots content and much more besides. A keen golfer, he plays the majority of his golf at Falkirk Golf Club. Top of his 'bucket list' is a round of Pebble Beach... ideally in the company of Gareth Bale.