Bold British Open Bettor Wagered Almost $2 Million To Win $35K By Fading Longshot Golfers

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Golf bets tend to boast some pretty good value given the relatively wide-open nature of the typical tournament, but one man decided to take a very unconventional approach to the British Open and ultimately walked away with $35,000 after boldly putting a grand total of $2 million on the line.

Scottie Scheffler was unsurprisingly the favorite to take home the Claret Jug at the major officially known as The Open Championship in 2024 (most sportsbooks listed him at around +500), but when everything was said and done, Xander Schauffele (who was hovering around +1200) walked away with the two-stroke victory.

Anyone who opted to back the man who won the PGA Championship earlier this year walked away with a pretty good return on their investment, and while the same can’t really be said for pro sports bettor Rufus Peabody, I can’t help but respect the approach he harnessed to take home a very solid chunk of change.

The vast majority of people who bet on golf are focusing on the players who they think have the best chance to win, but Peabody (who is the co-founder of a company that focuses on sports betting analytics) decided to take the opposite approach by turning his attention to the guys who didn’t appear to have a shot at contending at Royal Troon.

When you consider it’s infinitely easier to pick who’s not going to win a golf tournament than doing the opposite, you’re obviously not going to get great odds if you decide to go that route.

As a result, Peabody had to collectively throw down close to $2 million ahead of the British Open in the hopes of making around $35,000 by betting against a group of eight entrants that included Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, and Tiger Woods knowing that he’d end up between approximately $39K and $240K in the hole if anyone of the guys on the list ended up winning.

It’s only crazy if it doesn’t work.