Mito Pereira's PGA Championship lead wasn't as safe as it appeared when he entered Sunday with a three-shot lead on the field. But as his birdie putt on the 17th hole darted straight for the hole, it appeared longshot bettors were set to cash in.
That birdie putt fell one rotation short of the cup and the ensuing tee shot on No. 18 found water. The end result was a double-bogey and T3 for Pereira and a backdoor championship for Justin Thomas, who topped 36-hole leader Will Zalatoris in a three-hole playoff.
Pereira never surrendered his lead on Sunday until that 18th hole. While he wasn't a popular pre-tournament bet, a few significant wagers were uncovered in the afternoon.
Professional sports bettor Rufus Peabody shared his 300-1 ticket on Pereira. His $500 wager would've paid out $150,000. Instead, nothing.
The biggest public bet on Pereira was one person placing nine wagers on the Chilean, totaling $6,000 in risk for a payout over $912,000. Instead, nothing.
The trophy went to Thomas, who was around +1600 before the tournament began. PointsBet reported a $5,000 wager to pay out $80,000. But it was the live bets that showed huge odds for the champion.
FanDuel took $1,100 at +3600 to pay out over $40,000. Caesars paid out a $5 300-1 ticket that cashed for $1,500.
Pereira and Zalatoris remain winless on the PGA TOUR. Thomas now has 15 wins on tour and two majors, both coming at the PGA Championship.
Cameron Young tied Pereira for third. Chris Kirk, Tommy Fleetwood and Matt Fitzpatrick finished T5. Rory McIlroy charged early, but finished in 8th. Abraham Ancer, Tom Huge, Brendan Steele and Seamus Power all finished -1 as the only other players under par for the week.
