William Hill Escapes Big Payout as Scheffler Denies McIlroy at USPGA

William Hill has confirmed that Scottie Scheffler’s win at the USPGA Championship at Quail Hollow helped the bookmaker avoid a substantial financial hit, after Rory McIlroy failed to add the title to his Masters win from last month.

According to William Hill spokesperson Lee Phelps, Scheffler’s victory was well received internally despite the American taking around a third of all winning stakes. Phelps said Scheffler was far from the firm’s biggest liability, with greater exposure attached to fan favourites such as Justin Rose and Ludvig Aberg, who drew significant support before play began.

McIlroy the biggest threat

The real concern for William Hill, Phelps said, centred on McIlroy. The Northern Irishman was heavily backed by punters, and a promotional offer meant a McIlroy win would have triggered free bets on other selections for customers, given it would have represented back-to-back Major titles following his Masters success.

Phelps also pointed to Jon Rahm as a source of risk, noting the Spaniard accounted for a fifth of bets placed on the final day amid a late charge up the leaderboard. However, Scheffler’s consistent form across all four rounds ultimately protected the bookmaker from what Phelps described as one of its potentially costliest golf outcomes in recent years.

The comments were issued by William Hill.