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U.S. Open 2019: Someone actually bet on Chez Reavie—and you won't believe how much money he might win
Harry How
PEBBLE BEACH — Apparently, there's at least one person out there who isn't surprised to see Chez Reavie's name near the top of the leader board at the 2019 U.S. Open. Well, other than Chez Reavie himself. At least, we think.
According to SuperBook manager Eric Osterman, someone—emphasis on someONE—made a bold bet on the 37-year-old to win his first major at Pebble Beach this week. And you won't believe how much this mystery gambler might profit.
"Pre-tournament, we had a guy bet him $400 at 250/1, to win $100,000, but that was like the only bet on him," Osterman told Covers.com. "So we still win on him, but nothing major. He’s a fantastic putter, but if the course gets even firmer, a short hitter like Reavie is at such a disadvantage.”
OK, so it's not quite the record $2.25 paycheck Reavie stands to earn if he hoists the trophy on Sunday evening or the $1.2 million James Adducci made on a Tiger Woods Masters bet earlier this year, but 100K is a nice chunk of change. Of course, there's a long way to go for that to happen. Despite three good rounds from Reavie, who has never finished in the top 10 in 17 previous major championship starts, he is still listed at 25-to-1 odds at SuperBook entering the final round as he trails leader Gary Woodland by four shots.
The $400 wager on 250-to-1 odds happens to match the bet Blues fan Scott Berry won when St. Louis won its first Stanley Cup on Wednesday night. So perhaps, this ticket has extra good vibes.
Woodland and Justin Rose are co-favorites at 7/4, followed by Brooks Koepka (5/1), Rory McIlroy (10/1), and Louis Oosthuizen (12/1). Reavie is next before a big drop off to Matt Kuchar (60/1) and then Jon Rahm (100/1).
Despite a potentially large payout on this longshot, SuperBook is in good shape heading into Sunday's final round, thanks in large part to Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson playing themselves out of contention.
“Rose is still our best option, but we don’t lose on anybody,” Osterman added. “I consider that pretty good when it comes to golf. Usually in the final round, there are three or four players we’ll still lose to. But with so much Tiger and Phil money, once they were out of the running, it made the rest of it pretty easy.”