Tiger Woods’ Masters win earns first-time sports bettor $1.19M
While the sports world celebrated Tiger Woods’ Masters victory on Sunday, a first-time bettor from Wisconsin had more than a million reasons to cheer as well.
Woods earned a record $2,070,000 payout with a one-stroke victory over Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Xander Schauffele.
James Adducci won a record $1.19 million, the largest single golf ticket in William Hill’s history in the U.S.
The 39-year-old Adducci placed $85,000 on Woods to win the Masters at 14-1 odds. Woods, who had not won in Augusta since 2005 nor a major since 2008, captured his fifth green jacket, his first major tournament victory since 2008.
Adducci picked up his $1.275 million check Monday at SLS Las Vegas from Joe Asher, CEO of William Hill US, and Paul Hobson, SLS general manager.
“This is a story for the ages,” Asher said. “Tiger climbs back to the top, and a guy from Wisconsin, on his first sports bet ever, wins over a $1 million betting on him. We congratulate both James and Tiger on their epic wins.”
Adducci said he flew to Las Vegas on the morning of April 9 to bet on Woods to make his first-ever sports wager before flying right back to the Midwest.
“Golf was so special for my dad and I,” Adducci said. “To see Tiger win a major tournament for the first time in front of his kids meant a lot to me.”
Contact Tony Garcia at tgarcia@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0307. Follow @TonyGLVNews on Twitter.