Rory McIlroy’s nail-biting playoff win at The Masters on Sunday (Apr. 13) wasn’t just a big moment for his career, it also set off one of the biggest bookmaker payouts golf has ever seen.
Going into the 2025 Masters, McIlroy was on the hunt for the elusive career Grand Slam, something only five golfers had ever pulled off. With that kind of history on the line, all eyes were locked on Augusta.
McIlroy finally got his hands on the long-awaited major title after edging out Justin Rose in a sudden-death playoff. Both had finished the tournament at 11-under, setting the stage for a tense showdown.
In the playoff, it all came down to the putts. Rose missed a 15-footer for birdie, giving McIlroy the opening he needed. Cool as ever, McIlroy stepped up and nailed his three-foot putt to seal the win.
As a result, William Hill confirmed that his long-awaited victory triggered a massive seven-figure payout to customers, all thanks to a popular promo tied to his performance. William Hill had rolled out a “Money Back as a Free Bet” offer if McIlroy managed to win it all, which he did.
🏆 Rory McIlroy is The Masters 2025 champion!
With Rory completing the career Grand Slam, we're paying losing bets back as a free bet. 🤝#Masters2025 | 18+ | GambleAware pic.twitter.com/6vb2CW2tJt
— William Hill (@WilliamHill) April 13, 2025
Rory McIlroy victory ‘most dramatic Masters wins we’ve ever seen’
Cited by Gambling Insider, William Hill spokesperson, Lee Phelps, stated: “Masters Sunday 2025 will go down as one of the most dramatic we’ve ever seen, but also as one of the most significant in the history of betting on golf for William Hill.
“Rory McIlroy was always the biggest liability in our book before a ball was hit, and the stakes were raised when we announced Money Back as a Free Bet if McIlroy completed the career Grand Slam. In total, we’re now looking at a seven-figure payout.
“We laid tens of thousands of individual bets on McIlroy to win The Masters alone, while there was a good spread of business across the competitors this year with punters safe in the knowledge they had some Rory insurance.”
Betway spokesman Mike Reading told EGR Global: “The Northern Irishman was, as ever, a huge fan favourite in the betting and his win proved to be an absolute nightmare for the book, delivering the worst result imaginable for our golf traders!
“We have already priced up Rory’s chances of adding more major silverware in 2025. He’s currently 6/4 to win another one or more this season, 16/1 to land three or more, and a 40/1 chance to scoop all the remaining majors on offer.”
Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods are the only other male golfers who have accomplished the career Grand Slam. Now, McIlroy joins that elite group.
Reflecting on the emotional win, McIlroy kept it simple: “It was all relief.”
Featured image: Canva / Ed Baluan via WikiCommons 2.0
