Rovell: Irish bettors Not Backing Shane Lowry as He Seeks History at the British Open
Steve Flynn-USA TODAY Sports. Pictured: Shane Lowry walks on the fairway of the 18th hole during the third round of The British Open.
- Irish Sportsbook Paddy Power took a significant amount of bets that Rory McIlroy would win The Open Championship in his home country of Northern Ireland.
- Unfortunately for those bettors, they were pulling for the wrong guy.
You could only imagine the tough predicament Ireland’s biggest bookmaker would be in as an Irish player leads The Open Championship being played in Northern Ireland heading into the final round.
But that’s all it would be — imagination — as the locals didn’t have faith in Shane Lowry heading into the tournament.
Lowry, the 32-year-old Irishman who was runner-up at the 2016 U.S. Open, enters the final round with a four-stroke lead over Tommy Fleetwood and a six-stroke lead over J.B. Holmes in third.
Irish bookmaker Paddy Power offered Lowry at pre-tournament odds of 45- 1, but there were few takers, the book’s head of public relations Lee Price told The Action Network. They now have Lowry listed at 4-9 odds to win heading into Sunday.
“He’s actually a small winner for us,” said Price, referring to Lowry winning it all. “I’m not sure that’s the best story to be honest.”
Actually it is.
It’s hilarious.
Price noted that Irish fans bet heavy on hometown boy, Rory McIlroy, who was the pre-tournament favorite. McIlroy missed the cut after beginning the tournament with a snowman on the the first hole. Price also noted that Tiger Woods, who also missed the cut, was also a popular bet.
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