In August, when Hayden Toole was given a free $20 bet with Bet365, he knew what he wanted to do — a wacky parlay of a college football player, an NFL team and a Japanese golfer.
But now that Toole has nailed his first two legs, the wacky parlay isn’t so wacky.
If Hideki Matsuyama wins the Masters on Sunday, the 24-year-old Canadian bettor turns C$20 into C$132,580 (U.S. conversion is $15 into $99,500).
Let’s start with the college football player who happens to be Kyler Murray.
“My brother and I were talking about the Oklahoma offense pretty much coming back and we didn’t think he was being respected at 25-1 to win the Heisman,” Toole said.
On Dec. 9, Murray followed Baker Mayfield as the second straight Sooners quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy.
The LA Rams to win the NFC was less of a longshot at 6.5-1, but Toole felt it was worth playing.
“I knew the roster was so talented,” Toole said. “I waited a little too long here because I saw them at 11-1.”
Toole still prevailed, thanks to the controversial call in the title game against the New Orleans Saints.
So that brings us to … Hideki Matsuyama?
Matsuyama has five PGA Tour titles in six-and-a-half seasons, but he also has at least a top six finish in all four majors. At Augusta, he has finished in the top 20 for each of the last four Masters.
And how about this … Matsuyama has finished in the top 10 three times this year already, and is one of the players our golf betting expert Joshua Perry is eyeing this week.
Toole is going with his head and a little of his heart.
“He has always been my favorite golfer,” said Toole, who met the golfer at a McDonald's when his family to drove down from Hamilton, Ontario, to the WGC-Bridgestone in Akron, Ohio.
“I think he’s underrated because the American markets don’t really bite on him,” Toole said.
Right now, it doesn’t seem like the Bet365 algorithm is too concerned about Toole’s chance to cash in on what is now about 7,000-1 odds. They’ve only offered him a little north of $1,000 to cash out. (Matsuyama's is currently 30-1 to win the Masters at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook.)
“This is a free roll for me,” Toole said. “I feel pretty good. It’s going to have to be significant money for them to buy me out of this.”
Toole already cashed further on his Kyler Murray call, saying he netted $35,000 from bets on the quarterback to win the Heisman at 25-1 and 10-1.
Toole, who recently graduated college, will be watching at the Masters at home this weekend.
He’s waited eight months for a possible legendary and oddball payoff to be completed.
