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The Loop
Gary Woodland's craziest golf bet: The U.S. Open champ on playing for serious cash at Pebble Beach once before
(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The below is adapted from a recent Action Network story on U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland a buddies trip he took a couple years ago to Pebble Beach.
As part of a buddies’ golf trip, Woodland and three friends from his hometown in Kansas took a trip to Pebble Beach. Woodland was a world top-50 golfer at the time; his buddies were decidedly not professionals.
Even so, there was some betting action, which got a little out of control when the lone pro golfer started winning every hole. This is the story of how Woodland kept these friendly wagers from becoming unfriendly. Note: This article was first published by the Action Network's Jason Sobel.
“I went out to Pebble Beach with some buddies. Me and another guy were playing a shamble against two guys scrambling. Each team got three presses. The money got up to where it got to be a little uncomfortable.
“Fortunately, though, we were winning.
“It’s coming down to the 18th at Pebble and we give them a half-shot on the last hole, just because it got a little out of hand for guys who didn’t have it.
“There were a couple of us who could afford it, but we were playing the last hole for $32,000 each. That was a little much for some of the guys.
“I mean, it’s fun being on the winning side of it, but we gave them a half-shot and let them play for half the bet. They won the last hole.
“I was a little nervous. I didn’t want to win that last one.
“It was fun, but you don’t want to lose friends over something like that.
“And we’re all still friends, so it all worked out in the end.”
For more golf gambling stories from PGA Tour pros, check out Jason Sobel's entire series on The Action Network.