Rahm was destroying the sphere
Even though golfer Jon Rahm didn’t even finish the Memorial Tournament over the weekend, many of us who placed bets on him still won. in a very goodwill gesture, several sportsbooks decided to pay Rahm bets after he was forced to withdraw from the tournament after the third round due to a positive COVID-19 test.
Among the poker qq sportsbooks who are making their customers happy are DraftKings, FanDuel, PointsBet, BetMGM, and William Hill. they're paying the worth, too. in keeping with The Athletic, 39% of the handle BetMGM attracted for the tournament was on Rahm and eventual winner Patrick Cantlay. the 2 combined for a 3rd of PointsBet’s handle.
Why did the sportsbooks disburse on losing bets? Marketing, really. It’s a feel-good customer service story. Rahm was up by six strokes with only one round to travel. it'd have taken a large collapse or a historic charge by a competitor for him to lose the tournament and therefore the $1.67 million first place prize. But when a politician told him of his positive test right after he stepped off the 18th green, that prize went up in smoke. Per the principles, he had to tug out of the event.
Not all sportsbooks think it’s a decent idea
Circa and therefore the Westgate urban center Race & Sports SuperBook opted to not pay Rahm bettors.
“Through the years, I’ve shied far from any payouts that involve subjectivity,” said Circa sportsbook director Matt Metcalf. “It never ends up in a decent place long run from a customer perspective. That said, i'm happy for those who received payment and might understand the attitude of these companies choosing to try and do so.”
Essentially, it’s a matter of consistency. The sportsbooks have their rules and during this case, the rule was that if someone withdraws from a tournament, tickets thereupon golfer on them can’t win. I mean, Rahm didn’t win, so it is smart. Directors like Metcalf would rather just be consistent, instead of open his sportsbook up to complaints and controversy if he makes an exception in one case, but not in another.
This didn’t need to happen
Though the video of Rahm breaking down in tears when told of his positive test and resulting ouster from the Memorial Tournament is heartbreaking to look at, not all are empathetic. The Seattle Times editorial board said that by choosing to not get vaccinated – the PGA Tour has provided opportunities to golfers since March – Rahm has put people in danger, including fellow golfers, caddies, tournament staff, fans, and journalists.
“If one chooses to not vaccinate, one must own the deleterious outcomes,” the editorial board wrote. “Rahm lost lots of cash, but his real impact might only unfold over weeks.”
The Memorial Tournament domino qq online had a tent open, pass OhioHealth, for people to urge free shots, but in keeping with the editorial board, few used it (though that might be because the general public there had already started or finished their vaccination course).
Ironically, Rahm was within the testing protocol because he was unvaccinated. Though he hasn’t said whether or not he had received a vaccine, the PGA Tour doesn't require vaccinated players to be subject to weekly testing or the contact tracing protocol that Rahm was a part of over the weekend. So, whether or not he had still caught COVID-19 after being vaccinated, there's an honest chance he wouldn’t are tested on Saturday (he was required to be tested on a daily basis of the tournament because he had been in reality with someone who had COVID-19).
Fortunately, Jon Rahm is asymptomatic, so hopefully he will remain healthy. He should be ready to commence of his mandatory ten-day isolation in time to play at the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, where he will likely be one in all the favorites.