Paddy Power had already begun paying out to people who had backed Woods to win the tournament, after the US golfer gained a four-shot lead after the second round. 37-year-old Yang Yong-Eun from South Korea was two shots behind but shot 70 in the final round to defeat Woods by three on the final green.
“It takes a special kind of dimwit to turn what should have been our best-ever golf result into our worst,” a company spokesman said. “Paddy Power punters are obviously the big winners here and have made like bandits getting paid out on Tiger as a winner.”
Yang was available at odds of 150/1 at the start of the tournament and 16/1 before the final round. Paddy Power paid out on Woods after just 36 holes when the world number one was at odds of 1/5.
The company has claimed that its early payouts have helped attract customers.
