Gerry McIlroy Wins 100k Pounds From Ladbrokes

Published on July 20th, 2014 4:12 pm EST
Earlier today, Rory McIlroy held off Sergio Garcia and Rickie Fowler to win the 2014 British Open. McIlroy bent but didn't break on Sunday, as he watched his large six stroke lead evaporate heading down the stretch. In the end, however, McIlroy was able to hold off Garcia and Fowler to claim the victory.

With his victory, McIlroy took home a $1.66 million payday and will also see his value with sponsors rise even higher. With Tiger Woods faltering, there is no doubt at this point that McIlroy is the tour's most consistent superstar.

While it was a great day for Rory McIlroy, it was also a glorious day for his father and two of his father's friends.

You see, back in 2004, Gerry McIlroy and a couple of friends put some money down on Rory McIlroy winning the British Open by his 26th birthday. McIlroy is 25 years of age, so he won the last possible British Open that would have allowed the bet to have been declared a winner.

The terms of the bet? Ladbrokes offered Mr. McIlroy and friends 500-1 odds on Rory winning a British Open before his 26th birthday. Mr. McIlroy put down 200 pounds, while his friends coughed up a little less. So, the payout for Mr. McIlroy was 100k pounds, while his friends reportedly received 80k pounds.

There was some worry that Ladbrokes would not be paying out the bet, but that is not the case according to their Twitter feed:

"CONGRATULATIONS RORY: We're paying out 180k to Rory's Dad and pals. There'll be some party at the McIlroy's tonight!"

This is a win/win for Ladbrokes. Even though they are paying out 180k pounds, the press that they have received is worth much, much more. They have been mentioned on televisions and in newspapers across the globe - that type of publicity is very hard to buy.

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Rory McIlroy is a millionaire many times over, so I'm guessing that his father is already taken care of. His father's friends, however, are reportedly overjoyed with their 80k haul.

Source: Dailymail.co.uk - Rory McIlroy's father wins £100,000 after £200 bet in 2004 on his son to win the Open within 10 years