The 22-year-old Irish amateur Shane Lowry, a 999-1 shot on Betfair for victory before a ball was struck on Thursday morning, won the 3 Irish Open at Baltray yesterday in hugely dramatic circumstances.
Lowry had a two-foot putt on the 18th hole to win the title and amazingly traded at 1-100 on Betfair to make it, only to miss the putt and trigger a playoff with England’s Robert Rock – which Lowry eventually won on the third playoff hole.
His victory is surely one of the biggest golf betting upsets in history and is certainly the most dramatic betting upset ever to unfold on Irish shores in any sport.
Commenting on the amazing betting story around Lowry, Betfair spokesman Tony Calvin said, “A total of €63 was bet on Lowry at the maximum Betfair odds of 999-1, with plenty more money bet on him at smaller, yet still massive prices.
“Several Betfair punters will be celebrating huge payouts tonight, ironically something Lowry himself won’t be doing because his amateur status doesn’t allow him to cash the €500,000 winner’s cheque.
“He certainly backed himself out there under pressure so hopefully he had a few quid on himself too!”