Resurgence of Tiger Woods
After struggling with personal issues and serious injuries for several years, Tiger Woods has bounced back.
The injuries were so bad that he contemplated retirement on numerous occasions. However, the 43-year-old shocked the world by winning the Masters Tournament in April. It was his first major championship win since the 2008 US Open and the fifth time he won the green jacket emblematic of the Masters.
At his worst, he had dropped to 1,199th in the Official World Golf Rankings. However, he clawed his way back from the brink during the 2018 season, when he had a number of strong finishes and won the season-ending Tour Championship. That was his first win of any kind since the Bridgestone Invitational in 2013.
Tiger and sports betting
Over the years, people have won a lot of money by betting on Tiger Woods. He was so dominant that it was easy to see him winning every time he teed it up. Despite not having won a major championship since the 2008 US Open, some people still had supreme confidence in Tiger to do well.
Someone bet $85,000 (￡67,000) on Woods to win the Masters. It was the first sports bet this bettor had ever made and it was placed at a Nevada sportsbook operated by British bookmaker William Hill, who gave the bettor odds of 14-1 on Woods winning. The sportsbook immediately dropped Tiger’s odds to 10-1 after accepting this large bet.
Woods went on to claim the green jacket and the bettor won $1.19m (￡940,000) as a result. This was the largest payout from William Hill in the history of its US operations.
Before his Masters victory, Tiger took on his longtime rival Phil Mickelson in a head to head match for $9m (￡7.1m). The match took place in Las Vegas in November 2018 at the Shadow Creek Golf Course. Sponsors put up the prize money and there were many different side bets between the two players during the round.
The 18-hole match went to sudden death and the lefty?Mickelson won on the 22nd hole to claim the $9m top prize.
Recent comments on sports betting
Tiger was hosting his Tiger Jam event for the TGR Foundation recently when a member of the audience asked him what he thought about the man that made the $85,000 bet on him to win the recent US Masters.
Tiger said that it was a “f***ing great bet.” However, when he was told that the bettor had made a $100,000 (￡78,900) bet on Tiger to win the three remaining majors, Tiger said that was a dumb decision.
The bettor in question got odds of 100-1 on Tiger winning the PGA, US Open, and British Open Championships this year. He would have won a cool $10m if it were to happen. However, Brooks Koepka successfully defended his PGA title, meaning that the bettor is now out $100,000.
While players are not allowed to place golf bets, they can bet on other sports and partake in other forms of gambling. Tiger has been known to enjoy his gambling now and again. Every year he hosts the Tiger Jam in Las Vegas, which is a poker tournament in aid of charity. In the most recent event, Tiger was knocked out after going all-in against NBA icon Russell Westbrook.
Many people will be looking to Tiger once more when it comes to the upcoming US Open. It is being played at Pebble Beach, where Tiger won by 15 shots in the 2000 US Open.