The frustration on the face of Tiger Woods, who suffered a shock defeat at the PGA Championship on Sunday afternoon, was nothing compared to the anger that radiated from Paddy Power.
In fact, Paddy Power, communications director for an Irish bookmaking business named after himself, was so anxious about what happened at Hazeltine National Golf Club during the final round that he watched the action from the toilet. “I had to.” On Thursday, Mr. Power giggled while talking to Casino City. “I was sick like a parrot.”
And with good reason. Ireland’s bookmaker paid £1.25 million after Mr. Power made a bold but costly decision on Friday evening after Woods was routed by unknown Korean and eventual winner Y.E. Yang. Tiger’s decision to reward all of his customers for betting on him after coming out with a commanding four-shot lead ahead of the second round was his decision to reward all of the customers he had staked out to win the match. 사설 토토사이트
Woods, a 14-time major winner, watched both players surprise the world of golf as Woods, who won the final round one-on-five on Sunday, coughed. “Hey, 1 for 15 isn’t bad,” said Mr. Power with another smile. “Unfortunately, unless he makes a deal, we’ll have an ostrich-sized egg all over our face.”
This wasn’t the first time Paddy Power rewarded its customers before the official event ended. And Power vowed that it wouldn’t be its last. Paddy Power sometimes likes to take opportunities and pay off bets too soon. Paddy Power did so with Barack Obama’s supporters before the primaries and general elections, both of which were won by Obama, of course.
“It’s something we do sometimes to prove to our punters that we’re also willing to take a chance,” he explained. “Our bettors take a chance every day when they bet. We want to show that we’re not afraid to gamble, either. And we’re usually right more often than we’re wrong.”
However, the 34-year-old admitted the gamble cost the company “a mile” more than before – and it could have been a lot worse. Paddy Power gets a lot of bets from Padraig Harrington, the Irish golfer, in key events because of his position. Harrington started to take a two-shot lead from the front on Sunday, and if he had won, Paddy Power’s total loss would have been closer to 5 million pounds.
“It was the only way to seek grace,” said Power. “But this is still one of the dumbest things we’ve ever done. It takes a special kind of fool to turn what should have been a good day for us into the worst day.”
Asked if he would make the same decision with Woods if he was given the opportunity in the future, Power would not rule it out.
“If Tiger is in that position again, there’s a chance he’ll win,” Power said. “Will we be silly enough to do it again? Maybe. Watch this space. It can happen.”