William Hill pays out seven figures after McIlroy's Masters triumph

William Hill has revealed that Rory McIlroy’s play-off win at The Masters on 13 April 2025 has produced one of the largest payouts in the bookmaker’s golf betting history.

The result proved costly on two fronts. Alongside standard winnings paid to customers who had backed McIlroy outright, William Hill had also run a Money Back as a Free Bet promotion tied specifically to a McIlroy win. The combination of both liabilities pushed the total payout into seven figures.

Biggest liability on the book

Lee Phelps, spokesperson for William Hill, said McIlroy had been the bookmaker’s largest liability before the tournament even began, with the risk increasing further once the Money Back as a Free Bet offer was announced ahead of his bid to complete the career Grand Slam.

According to Phelps, William Hill laid tens of thousands of individual bets on McIlroy to win The Masters, while wagers were also spread across other competitors, with many punters aware they held a form of insurance through the promotion regardless of the outcome.

Odds shift for Sports Personality of the Year

The win has also affected William Hill’s market for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award 2025. McIlroy has moved to 8/11 favourite, having been priced at 2/1 before his final round at Augusta on Sunday.

The figures were released by William Hill via its PR agency, Square in the Air.