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Martin Kaymer entered this year’s TTPC Sawgrass as an 85/1 long shot to win and the payout was a sweet $8500 for every $100 bet.
Kaymer nearly blew a three-shot lead after a 90-minute rain delay until he holed a 30-foot par putt on the famous island green. He got up-and-down with his putter from short of the 18th green for one last par and a 1-under 71.
The German golfer sat atop the leader board after Day 1 of play and had his odds drastically cut.
Kaymer had a one-shot lead. His tee shot cleared the water and landed on a mound just over the bunker, but it mysteriously spun hard back toward the front of the green and looked as if it might go into the water until it settled into the clumpy collar a foot from the bulkhead. His chip was weak, and he still had 30 feet down a ridge with a sharp swing to the right. He made the putt, pumping his fist in a rare show of emotion.
His putt from the fairway on 18 settled 3 feet behind the hole, and Kaymer was as much relieved as excited when he knocked it in.
- Mary Montgomery, Gambling911.com and Associated Press
