Pro golfers lament onset of regulated sports betting

The debate over regulated sports betting, especially in the United States, has raged on for decades. During that time, some of the loudest voices in the argument came from professional sports leagues such as the NFL and MLB. Their main argument was that wagering on their sports would somehow impact the integrity of their respective sports.
One voice that was curiously absent during this epic argument was that of the athletes who actually play the sports being wagered on. That changed recently when several professional golfers spoke out against sports betting and detailed how, exactly, they thought it could impact their personal play.
In a podcast that was reported on recently by CalvinAyre.com, PGA all-star Rory McIlroy said he thought regulated sports betting would cause fans to be more belligerent in their treatment of players on the course because money was now involved. “What is going to happen is you will see more of this [heckling] stuff occurring because there are going to be those who have bet against you, and the guy you are playing with. They’re going to want to try and alter the result because they will potentially either make or lose money from it.”
Australian golfer Jason Day added, “I don’t think betting in general is a good thing. To bring it into golf, it will bring in a lot of money. But unfortunately, it goes with the fact people get very emotionally attached to what they’re betting on and take it very seriously.”
While fan heckling is definitely on the rise in golf, neither player seems to realize that wagering has been part of professional golf since its inception and the rise of the heckler is more likely the result of decaying social standards than the existence of regulated sports betting.