Brian nets €22k from five-year bet on Rory

Northern Ireland golfer Rory McIlroy’s weekend performance at the US Open was watched by millions the world over but one Clare golf enthusiast paid particular attention to the youngster’s record-breaking win.

A North Clare resident scooped more than €22,000 from a British bookie after he collected the winnings from a five-year-old bet, which came to pass with nine years to spare.
Ennistymon pharmacist Brian McElhinney, along with his lifelong friend, London-based Alan Jones, netted £20,100 or €22,500, after backing McIlroy when he was just 16 to win a major.
In 2005, Alan placed a bet on Brian’s behalf with William Hill Bookmakers. He bet £300 that Rory would win a major before 2020 at odds of 66/1. 
Brian saw 14-year-old McIlroy playing for Ulster Youths at Lahinch, where the Ennistymon resident is a member, back in 2003 and knew there was something special about the teenager.
“I watched him play in Lahinch when he was 14 and I could see he was something different.
“He was representing Ulster in the Youth Interprovincials at just 14. His general play was excellent and the way he carried himself but there was one particular shot on the 11th from the edge of a bunker that really stood out in my memory,” Brian told The Clare Champion.
That day, Rory was partnering Brian’s namesake, another well-known Ulster golfer. Soon after, as an invited amateur at the Dunlop Masters, Rory missed the cut after shooting 82 and 83 but his talent even at age 14 was obviously enough for Brian and Alan to  make the wager.
“Brian obviously spotted something very special when he watched him play as a 14-year-old,” said William Hill spokesman Tony Kenny, “but he wasn’t the only one who spotted his early genius. A lot of people in the inner circles of Irish golf knew about Rory McIlroy however, Brian was one of the few with the guts to put a bet on the Hollywood hero landing a major.”
Since turning pro in 2007 McIlroy has been getting increased international attention as one of the world’s most talented golfers. He came to global prominence earlier this year in the US Masters when he took a four-stroke lead into the final round of the competition before finishing with an 80-shot final round, the worst ever for anyone who led the Masters going into the last day.
The collapse did not worry Brian, who believed a Major victory was just a matter of time and that the young Ulsterman would bounce back.
“I have great admiration for Rory as an individual, as well as a golfer. He is a very impressive young man in the way he carries himself in public. I say that as a parent of lads a bit younger than him,” Brian said.
“I wouldn’t bet regularly but I follow sport and would put a bet on every so often. I haven’t done any like this one before and I’m not sure I’d get as lucky again,” he added. 
According to Mr Kenny from William Hill, a 17-year gamble is not that unusual.
“We get all these requests from parents ringing up about their kids playing for Ireland or whatever, mad things, we get so many of these every day that we don’t even notice them anymore.
“We have been taking this sort of thing since the early ’80s so it has been going on a long time and we have built up quite a few. We have taken bets on people playing for England and some of these have come true in recent years. I recall that another bookmakers took a bet on Kevin Doyle playing for Ireland. Someone put on 30 quid and got more than €15,000 back. It is a fun way to bet when you put down a small amount and after a long time can get a big win,” he comments.
Unfortunately for anyone thinking of putting money on McIlroy adding another Major trophy to his cabinet, the odds are nowhere near Brian’s 66/1, according to Tony, the current odds are 1/5.