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Victory was in the hands of Rory McIlroy last week as he took the British Open and a handsome $1.6 million prize with it.
The 25-year-old celebrated a two-shot victory at Hoylake, beating American Rickie Fowler and Spanish Sergio Garcia with a final score of 71 to their respective 67 and 66.
While the victory was sweet for the Northern Irishman, it was truly his father who was celebrating his epic win, thanks to a few very lucky bets. Gerry McIlroy’s confidence in his son caused him to place a number of bets years in advance, which finally paid out on 20th July and earned him a cool £100,000.
Ten years ago, Gerry McIlroy placed a £200 bet with odds of 500/1 that his son would win a British Open before he turned 26. Rory McIlroy was 15 years old at the time.
In a further risky move, Gerry McIlroy and his friends also placed two other worthwhile bets. With odds of 250/1, they had a wager which saw them placing £200 on Rory winning the British Open within 10 years. A further £100 flutter was placed on a 150/1 bet that Rory would win the competition before he reached age 50, and the boys scooped a total of more than £80,000 between them after last week’s competition.
The bets would have been a nightmare for bookmakers and golf experts but a dream come true for McIlroy, who’s earned more than just a huge cash prize. At just 25 years old, he’s accomplished a feat that only two have completed previously – three legs of a grand slam – which were achieved by Jack Niclaus and Tiger Woods with 32 majors between them.
But winning big is nothing new for McIlroy, who won the U.S. Open in 2011 and the U.S. PGA Championship in 2013. Now, the only prize that has escaped his grasp is the US Masters, but at such a young age, he certainly has time to show exactly what he can do. Woods and Niclaus achieved their feats over the course of a lifetime – if McIlroy can achieve so much at 25, there is no end to his potential.
Dedicating his prize to his mother, McIlroy said: “I’m happy I gave myself a cushion because there were a lot of guys coming at me, especially Sergio and Rickie Fowler.
“Just to be sitting here and looking at this thing and having my name on it, is a great feeling.”