When Jordan Spieth wrapped up his second round at last week’s Genesis Invitational, he was tied for 20th place. Unfortunately for Spieth, his plans of playing over the weekend were disrupted soon thereafter, as he was disqualified after signing an incorrect scorecard.
The unexpected blunder led to apologies from Spieth and plenty of questions for golf bettors. So, what happens to your golf bets in the event of a disqualification or other unforeseen circumstance that impacts your chosen golfers? Let’s take a closer look.
Jordan Spieth’s disqualification and betting impact
Spieth was among the betting favorites heading into the Genesis Invitational. He lived up to those expectations in round one on Thursday, carding a five-under score of 66. He couldn’t sustain the momentum the following day, finishing with a 73 after a double-bogey on the final hole. The bad day got even worse.
Spieth was at -3 in a tie for 20th place and appeared to be locked in to play the final two rounds. He was instead disqualified and eliminated after signing an incorrect scorecard. Those who had wagers on Spieth also felt the impact, as those bets were graded as a loss. To his credit, he took ownership of the situation, later sharing on X:
Sportsbook house rules for golf
While a rare occurrence, such as a golfer being disqualified, can certainly lead to disappointment for bettors, the best golf betting sites address how issues such as these are handled. The following snippet from the FanDuel Sportsbook house rules addresses how the sports betting giant handles such instances:
Where specified, certain markets will be offered on an “all-in compete or not” basis. This means that, if a player, team or other competitor is withdrawn from an event (whether he, she or it pulls out of the event, is suspended or disqualified from it or otherwise) before he, she or it has taken part in the event, then any bet placed on that player, team or competitor (as applicable) will be deemed a losing bet.
For the majority of the top sportsbooks, it’s simple and straightforward: if the golfer plays in the event and is then disqualified, the bet will be graded as a loss.
The best advice for bettors is to take the time to review the golf betting house rules at your sportsbooks of choice. While the rules are similar across the legal and regulated sports betting industry, it’s still worth the time to do so to have a full understanding of how certain instances are handled. For a sampling, here are some of the consensus rules:
- Bets stand after the golfer has teed off for the first hole of the tournament.
- If a golfer withdraws prior to the start of the event, bets on that golfer are voided.
- Players who withdraw or are disqualified prior to the first cut will be deemed to have missed the cut.
- All bet settlements are based on the official event statistics.
- If the tournament is shortened due to bad weather, bets will be settled so long as a winner is declared and a minimum of 36 holes are played
