Dad's 10-yr wager pays off big

Gerry McIlroy was 100,000 pounds ($170,900) richer on Sunday following his son Rory's two-stroke victory in the 143rd British Open at Royal Liverpool.

Ladbrokes said in a news release that Gerry had placed a 500-1 bet on his son a decade ago to land the coveted Claret Jug within 10 years.

"Although we're facing heavy losses we can't help but admire the foresight of Rory's dad and his pals a decade ago," said a spokesperson for the British bookmakers.

Two friends of Rory's father also collected about 80,000 pounds from a similar wager.

"They are all going to be very happy," said the younger McIlroy. "My dad has never reminded me but I knew he'd done it-it's a nice little bonus."

McIlroy's victory, his third in a major after the 2011 US Open and 2012 US PGA Championship triumphs, means he only needs the US Masters to complete a grand slam of golf's 'Big Four' prizes.

"It's an 8/1 shot McIlroy wears the Green Jacket at Augusta in 2015 and just 1/2 at any time in his career," said Ladbrokes.

AFP