One of the coolest aspects of Rory McIlroy potentially winning The Open Championship at Hoylake this weekend is that his father will cash in big on a 10-year-old bet.
As we wrote back in 2011, McIlroy’s father, Gerry, combined with three friends to place a £400 bet that Rory would win The Open Championship by the age of 25. Each person threw in £100 on the bet, and they received 500:1 odds. The payout is £200,000 — which should come out to £50,000 apiece.
We wrote about the story back in 2011 because that was the year Rory won his first major. He captured the US Open in 2011 and the PGA Championship in 2012, but the closest he’d come to winning The Open Championship was when he finished third in 2010.
Until now.
Rory is 25, so this is his last chance to make good on his father’s wager. He enters the final round on Sunday with a 6-shot lead. Those who saw McIlroy blow a 4-stroke lead in the final round of the 2011 Masters know you can’t give him the Claret Jug just yet, but he sure has a great chance of winning. And how awesome would it be for him to win the bet on the last year he can?
