Rory McIlRoy's dad just made $340,000 with a 10-year-old bet on the British Open

Rory McIlRoy's dad just made $340,000 with a 10-year-old bet on the British Open
(Image credit: Matthew Lewis / Getty Images)

Rory McIlroy won the British Open on Sunday and, in doing so, helped his dad cash in on a prescient decade-old bet.

McIlroy's dad, Gerry, and three of his friends each bet 100 British pounds 10 years ago that the golf prodigy would win the Open before turning 26. At 500-1 odds, the bet would pay out $340,000 should the bold prediction come true. And indeed, the 25-year-old McIlroy held on to claim the victory Sunday, making him the third player ever to win three majors by that age — and making his dad a decent chunk of change to boot.

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Jon Terbush

Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.