Matt Fitzpatrick believes there's one genuine problem for professional golf. And it's fueling relentless a**** of players and could soon start affecting competition itself.

Speaking at Royal Birkdale ahead of the 154th Open Championship, the 2022 U.S. Open champion said targeted harassment from angry b****** has become a shared experience across the men's tours.

"I would say every golfer that's played a professional tournament has had a message of a**** from someone that is related to g*******," Fitzpatrick told reporters on Monday.

Fitzpatrick faced angry fans twice in the last two years. The first was Bethpage Black last September, where Europe's Ryder Cup team walked into one of the most hostile atmospheres the event has produced in years.

"You go and type in a player's name who maybe isn't playing well, maybe someone who's favoured to play well, you type the name into Twitter, and you'll just see their name followed by a**** after a**** after a****. For me, it's definitely becoming a problem," he added, per Golf Magic.

Rory McIlroy and his wife Erica bore the worst of it – a drink was thrown at Erica during Saturday’s fourballs. The PGA of America's chief executive later sent the couple a personal letter of apology. Fitzpatrick, playing in his fourth Ryder Cup, played in the middle of that atmosphere.

The second came in March 2026 at The Players Championship. Fitzpatrick led Cameron Young by a stroke with two holes to play before a bogey at the last handed Young the title. As Fitzpatrick walked to the 18th tee, sections of the TPC Sawgrass crowd booed him and broke into 'USA' chants.

The R&A has already tried to get ahead of the issue by implementing a new spectator code called The Open Commitment. It asks fans to respect the players, respect the links, respect each other, be aware, and enjoy responsibly.

And if behavior crosses the line, serious or repeated breaches can lead to removal from the championship grounds without a refund.

That is the official line. But Fitzpatrick’s point is that golf’s biggest problem is not only in the grandstands. It is also on the phone screen. A fan can be thrown out for shouting. But a bettor can still send a**** from home.

The Problem, Fitzpatrick Said, Is That Golf Is Easier To Disrupt

His concern is specific to golf's unique exposure. Unlike most sports, spectators stand close enough to influence a shot in real time.

And Fitzpatrick thinks it makes b******-fueled interference far easier to pull off, and far harder to police, in golf than in almost any other arena.

"Particularly, in golf, it would be very easy to influence a bet," Fitzpatrick said during the same interview, per the BBC.

"Whether it's shouting on someone's backswing, shouting on a putting stroke. It's really easy. Obviously that is really hard to monitor, but it is definitely an issue."

Rory McIlroy saw the same problem coming years ago. McIlroy warned about the same thing back in 2023 after Max Homa and Chris Kirk were heckled at the BMW Championship by spectators linked to a b**.

Two fans were ejected that week, but McIlroy called it a 'slippery slope'. He said golf was especially vulnerable because spectators are close enough to really affect play. He added that g******* is not the issue by itself. The problem starts when fans think they can influence the result.

Follow Club Golf for more.

Written by

Md Saife Fida

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar