Brandon Stone shot a course record round of 60 to claim the Scottish Open on Sunday, but little did he know his victory sparked scenes of jubilation on the streets of Galway.
A punter from the County had placed an audacious €25 each-way bet on the South African in a BoyleSports shop at mammoth odds of 500/1. The odds looked justified after a level par opening round of 70 at Gullane left Stone languishing below the cut mark which eventually fell at -3. But he recovered on Friday before going into the final round with a three shot deficit.
Stone then bulldozed his way through the field on Sunday, missing a putt on the 18th green to become the first player in history to shoot a round of 59 on the European Tour. His four shot victory meant the 500/1 betting slip was now worth a grand total of €15,050 to its owner.
The staggering payout saw the County Galway native pocket more from the Scottish Open than some of the field, with Graeme McDowell walking away with just under €15,000 for his -3 total over the four days.
Lawrence Lyons, spokesperson for BoyleSports said: “Brandon Stone was showing no signs of form going into the Scottish Open and had missed the cut twice in the last three weeks, so we don’t know what possessed our Galway customer to have so much confidence in him at 500/1.”
He added: “We can only doff our caps to them on such a brave selection, they must have their golf knowledge down to a tee and we hope they enjoy their €15,050 winnings.”
