Rory McIlroy's Masters Win Gives Bettors Unexpected Anxiety

Rory McIlroy won the 2025 Masters Tournament in a sudden-death playoff, capturing his first green jacket and career Grand Slam in a thrilling win at Augusta National. It proved to be a tumultuous day for golf fans and the sports betting community, with some of the best sports betting sites reacting to the action. 

McIlroy, 35, finally captured a tournament that had haunted him since his notoriety in the 2011 meltdown. His win came after a nail-biting final round that involved a lost lead and a game-saving birdie on the last hole.

The leader of Sunday's third round by two shots on Bryson DeChambeau, and the -200 favorite to capture his green jacket, saw his advantage slip away on the back nine. He was robbed of a regulation win with a miss on a 5-foot par putt on the 18th green and then had to prevail in a playoff against Justin Rose. 

McIlroy took the sudden-death playoff on the first hole by rolling home a 4-foot birdie putt, and Rose could not match.

Rose had entered the tournament as an outsider at 125-1 odds and was ahead after the first two rounds. The Westgate SuperBook, in the Nevada sports betting market, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal (LVRJ) that it took a $200 wager that would have paid out $25,000 and two $100 wagers that would have paid out $12,500 each. 

Caesars Sportsbook confirmed to the LVRJ that a Rose win would have been highly profitable for bookmakers, despite a few large wagers.

Despite McIlroy being among the most popularly backed players (he was the leader in tickets and runners-up in money bets), sportsbooks emerged from the Masters in good financial health. According to Westgate SuperBook golf oddsmaker Jeff Sherman, the LVRJ wrote that while McIlroy's win generated modest losses for the book in the outright market, the book earned good money in matchup bets, proposition wagers, and the overall winning score market.

Bogey turns betting markets

There was a major betting reversal on the final hole when McIlroy's bogey pushed the winning score from under to over the total of 276½ to end at 277. The flip wiped out heavily those bettors who had wagered on the under.

Past Masters champion Patrick Reed trailed two strokes behind the leaders in third place. The 90-1 long shot would have been a big win for several books. Red Rock Resort sportsbook manager Chuck Esposito said the handle overall was strong, with live action especially heavy in the back nine and the playoff. 

Caesars said that this year's handle topped last year's total for the Masters.

Following his Masters triumph, McIlroy's possibilities for claiming the other majors of the season were reoriented. He emerged as the +450 choice to win the PGA Championship instead of Scottie Scheffler. He and Scheffler now are co-favorites for 5-1 in the U.S. Open and for +550 in the British Open.

Sherman cited McIlroy's recent victories at Pebble Beach and The Players Championship and his good past record at Quail Hollow - the venue for the upcoming PGA Championship - as the basis for the new odds.

Sportsbooks prepare for more action at the PGA Championship in mid-May. Sherman calls for record-breaking betting levels based on a highly competitive lineup with up-and-coming stars like Ludvig Aberg and consistent fan favorites like Scheffler and McIlroy.