R&A issues crowd guidelines for 154th Open after rise in heckling

The R&A issued new behavioral guidelines for spectators at the 154th Open following a reported increase in heckling at recent events. Rory McIlroy said gambling has contributed to fan attempts to influence play. He noted that the issue was discussed during his time on the PGA Tour board and its policy advisory committee.

McIlroy comments on betting and crowd conduct “But certainly it’s a thing that we’ve definitely talked about when I was on the board of the PGA TOUR, on the PAC, like whenever gambling or sports betting in the United States was coming into golf in a big way, it was something we talked about and how do we place it to make sure the integrity of the competition isn’t jeopardized by letting this stuff happen,” McIlroy said.

McIlroy added that the proximity of spectators makes it easy for bettors to affect outcomes. He cited the 2023 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, where some fans directed hostility toward winner Wyndham Clark while supporting Scottie Scheffler.

Personal incidents and legacy remarks McIlroy said his wife and daughter received derogatory comments from spectators at Bethpage Black during the 2025 Ryder Cup. At the Open’s pre-tournament news conference, McIlroy stated that legacy holds little personal significance.

“I would like to think that the people that love and care about me think a certain way of me, but yeah, I’ll be long gone. I’ll be dead,” he said. Sports betting became legal across much of the United States in 2018. The R&A said the new guidelines aim to prevent similar crowd behavior at the 154th Open.