Whoever gave Rory McIlroy 500-to-1 odds to win the British Open made a big mistake.
Sure, McIlroy was 15 at the time and it was his father who made the bet, but Jerry knew something the rest of the world didn't.
Not this boy. After being gifted his first golf club, the young McIlroy fell asleep with it perfectly in his hand.
He pestered his father to play golf every day and at age seven became the youngest member of Holywood Golf Club.
So by the time McIlroy turned 15 in 2004, his father already knew he would become one of the greatest golfers of all time.
But Ladbrokes did not.
Read more about Rory McIlroy
Gerry went to the bookmakers, put down £200 that his curly-haired, freckled son would win the British Open by the time he was 26, and the bookmakers offered him a payout of £100,000.
Just a few months later, McIlroy was already beginning to confound bookmakers.
He became the youngest ever winner of both the West of Ireland and Irish Close Championships in 2005 and broke the course record at Royal Portrush in 2006 at the age of 16.
The Northern Irishman rose to prominence as a professional in 2007 and three years after the bet was made he had already played in the British Open, finishing tied for 42nd, the lowest ranking amateur.
That same year, McIlroy became the youngest member in European Tour history to earn an affiliate card.
In 2009, at age 19, he won the Dubai Desert Classic, marking his first professional victory and finishing the year as the ninth-ranked player in the world.
Suddenly, the 500-to-1 bet seemed like a formality.
In 2011, at the age of 22, McIlroy won the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship the following year, catapulting him to the number one spot in the world rankings.
But success at the British Open came slowly.
After missing the cut in 2013, McIlroy had one more year to produce results, with his best result to that point being a tie for third at St. Andrews in 2010.
As if by fate, McIlroy got one last chance to win his father's bet in 2014, and he finally won golf's oldest championship.
Gerry wasn't the only one to profit: he shared his winnings with a friend who put down half the stake, while another Hollywood punter made £50,000 after placing a £200 bet at 250-to-1 on McIlroy to win the British Open before he was 50.
A Ladbrokes spokesman said at the time: “As family celebrations begin, there will be an extra bottle or two of champagne on tap, courtesy of the bookmaker.”
“This is the most expensive Open result since Tiger Woods' heyday in 2006. Even in the face of such heavy losses, it's hard not to admire the foresight of Rory's father and his buddies 10 years ago.”
“This isn't the first time a famous parent has fooled us – Lewis Hamilton's family and friends made a huge bet when the F1 star was just nine years old.”
They added: “Nine times out of 10 these bets are a dud, but this time the gamblers certainly knew more than we did.”
McIlroy's father was working two jobs when he made the bet in 2004, and it was the natural reward for a devoted father.
Speaking about McIlroy's efforts to nurture his passion for golf, Gerry once said: “I would bartend at Holywood GC from 12pm until 6pm, then I'd go home for tea and then come back to the sports club and work as a bartender from 7pm until late.”
“I was a working-class guy and all I knew was earning the money Rory needed to learn to play golf and compete.”
By 2014, the McIlroy family was no longer short of cash. Now, aged 35, McIlroy is thought to be worth more than £200 million.
But after his Hoylake win, McIlroy said the bet was a symbol of the foundation and belief his parents gave him.
He said: “I don't think it's a big deal to my dad anymore, but I think the guys he worked with are a little happy about it. He never reminded me. I knew he did it. I don't know if it'll pay off. If it does, it's a nice little bonus.”
“My parents' support was incredible. They were there growing up and did everything and sacrificed for me. But to this day, they're the only people in this world I can tell anything to. I couldn't ask for better parents.”
“My parents have supported me through my worst times, like when I missed the cut at Muirfield last year and when I won as Golfer of the Year this year. I can't say enough good things about my parents. They're the best people in the world.”
If someone had bet in 2014 that McIlroy wouldn't win a major championship for the next decade, the odds might have been even higher than 500-to-1.
He returned to Royal Liverpool as favourite to win again in 2023 but finished tied for sixth place, seven strokes behind eventual winner Brian Harman.
The last of his four major victories came at the PGA Championship at Valhalla, one month after that famous win at the 2014 British Open.
That means unless he wins at Royal Troon this week, McIlroy's winless streak will officially exceed 10 years.
This comes despite him having 21 top 10 finishes in major championships since his last success.
He remains one of the best golfers in the world and currently sits at number 2 in the Official World Golf Rankings.
McIlroy outlasted nearly every golfer who competed with him at the top level in 2014, but the major championships remain a mystery.
His most recent narrowly missed win came at the 2023 U.S. Open, when two missed putts inside four feet allowed Bryson DeChambeau to beat him by one stroke.
If bookmakers lost out to McIlroy's team in 2014, they have undoubtedly made a lot of money off him since then.
Tune in to live coverage of the 152nd Open at Royal Troon on talkSPORT 2 from 7am on Thursday.
