Sports betting: Tiger Woods has at least one person rooting against him in the Masters this Sunday, a CEO with a $1.19M liability in play
Bookie on the hook for $1.19M says Tiger in contention is a good thing, but not good enough to root for him.
» READ MORE: Tiger Woods has won his fifth Masters, and his first since 2005.
Not everybody is hoping Tiger Woods wears green again on Sunday.
On Tuesday, an unidentified bettor went into a William Hill sportsbook in Southern Nevada and put $85,000 on Tiger to win the Masters. That guy definitely wants Tiger.
Woods, 43, hasn’t won a major since the 2008 U.S. Open, and hasn’t won at Augusta since capturing his fourth title there in 2005. His odds prior to the tournament were 14-1. The bettor stands to win $1.19 million.
>>READ MORE: Woods, Finau, two back entering final round
Even if impending weather has forced a dramatic moveup of Sunday’s tee times, there will be plenty of interest to see if Tiger can come from two shots back to win his 15th major.
But for every bettor, there’s a bookie. Joe Asher, the CEO for William Hill’s U.S. operations will be cheering the other way.
“It’s exciting to see Tiger in the thick of it,” said Asher, whose ties to our area include his days working at the old Brandywine race track. “It’s great for the sport. I hope he doesn’t win, but if he does, good for him and good for those who bet on him.”
Heading into Sunday, Tiger’s odds were down to 3-1. Leader Francesco Molinari, who shot a 66 on Saturday to move to -13 is at 2-1 odds. Tony Finau, who bagged a 64 on Saturday and is tied with Tiger at -11, is 6-1.
Those three will be in the final group, which will tee off at 9:20 a.m. on CBS.
Some golf historians assert that a Woods win on Sunday would top the unlikely green jacket Jack Nicklaus claimed (with a winning score of -9) in 1986 as a 46-year-old. It sure would for the mystery bettor, who stands to hit William Hill for the largest golf payout in that company’s history.
(They’re also holding a $77,000 liability on Dustin Johnson after someone bet $7k at 11-1 odds. Johnson is five strokes back.)
“You win some, you lose some,” Asher said.
Sunday’s NBA Lines
via VegasInsider.com