Golf

Rory McIlroy Might Make His Dad A Big Chunk Of Change At The British Open

When Rory McIlroy ran away with the U.S. Open title on Sunday, generally, people were happy for the guy – he’d overcome his Masters meltdown and taken the first major (pun sort of intended, sorry) step to fulfilling his vast potential. And then, when he hugged his dad, Gerry – who’d worked so hard to support his son’s budding career – and wished him a Happy Father’s Day, hearts were warmed all across the land.

Gerry McIlroy, though, might be even happier if his son wins the British Open (OK, fine, technically “Open Championship”) next month – or in 2012 or 2013, for that matter. That’s because several years ago, the elder McIlroy, along with three friends, placed a £400 bet (each bettor put in £100) that his son would win an Open Championship by 25. (It’s unclear to us whether McIlroy needs to win it before he turns 25, or if the bet is still good if he wins it while he’s 25 in 2014.)

What is clear is that Gerry McIlroy and friends got 500:1 odds because, well, his son was 15 when he made the bet. The odds looked long, no matter how promising young Rory was. Except now, the odds aren’t looking too long at all. Rory McIlroy already has a third-place Open Championship finish under his belt, and right now he’s looking like the best player in the game. Giving him at least three, and possibly four, chances to win the tournament closest to his home turf almost doesn’t seem fair.

But that’s the bet that was made, and now, for the elder McIlroy and friends, it’s £50,000 each at stake. And because you are all dirty, dirty American savages without a care in the world for other cultures, Devil Ball Golf’s Jay Busbee handily converts that number – it’s the equivalent of approximately $80,000.

In other words, there is some serious money riding on this bet. But Rory McIlroy needn’t feel too much pressure: if he really wants his dad to have that £50,000, he could always give him 1/18 of his U.S. Open prize money of $1.44 million, or $80,000 on the nose. (That would actually translate to just under £50,000, since a pound is worth slightly over 1.6 U.S. dollars as of this writing, but you get the picture.) If my hypothetical future son ever has his sights set on a golf career, remind me to throw myself fully behind it.

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