During the first round of the US Open 2024 at Pinhurst, a gambler placed a live $80,000 first-round-leader bet on Patrick Cantlay — with 22-to-1 odds at DraftKings Sportsbook — to win his first major championship.
Gambler won $1.2 million on Patrick Cantlay first-round bet at the US Open 2024 after cashing out
Cantlay had the clubhouse lead for most of Day 1 at the U.S. Open. However, the lucky bettor, who wished to remain anonymous, decided to cash out for nearly $1.2 million.
It was the most logical decision as Rory McIlroy wound up sharing the lead at 5 under by the end of the day. The gambler would have won $1.76 million had Cantlay finished the day as solo leader.
Just your casual every day MILLION dollar cash out on Cantlay First Round Leader 😳
(via @FrankieBets11 @dksportsbook) pic.twitter.com/OXE3SFIjfk
— br_betting (@br_betting) June 13, 2024
Nevertheless, the bettor accepted the $1.183 million payout instead. Since Cantlay finished tied with one other player, the dead heat reduction would have cut his odds in half to 11/1. This meant a payout of $880K.
Therefore, by cashing out early, this gambler earned himself an extra $300K.
As for McIlroy, the Northern Ireland pro fell short on Sunday in the final round of the US Open against Bryson DeChambeau at the 18th hole, missing a short par putt for the second time in three holes.
Bryson DeChambeau won his second championship
DeChambeau proceeded to hit a difficult punch shot from near a tree root and into a bunker across the fairway. From 55 yards away, he chipped to about 4 feet and sunk a par putt to finish 6 under — 1 shot better than McIlroy.
“I was going to try and birdie the hole on 18, obviously, if I hit a good drive, but pulled it,” DeChambeau said. “But I knew where Rory was.
“After my tee shot, I was up there going, ‘Man, if he makes par, I don’t know how I’m going to beat him.’ I just really didn’t know. Then I heard the moans. Like a shot of adrenaline got in me. I said, ‘OK, you can do this.'”
Tony Finau (3-under 67) and Cantlay (even-par 70) tied for third at 4 under.
DeChambeau is now a two-time US Open champion after also winning in 2020.
Meanwhile, McIlroy has gone nearly 10 years without a major championship victory.
