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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Prince J. Grimes

These friends funded their trip to The Open by wisely doubling down on the Warriors to win the NBA title

Some people bet on sports for fun. Others do it with the hope to hit big and get rich. For a few, it’s simply a lifestyle. Then, there are those who use betting as a utility, a means to an end — a way to potentially multiply their money to afford something else.

That was the goal of a group of buddies in Minnesota who decided last year they wanted to make a bucket-list trip to the Old Course in Scotland for the 150th Open Championship, as told by Golf.com. Expenses were going to be more than their typical annual buddies trips, so they turned to NBA futures for extra money.

The bet: Golden State Warriors to win the NBA championship.

Andrew Beliveau, a die-hard Warriors fan, was the member of the group who convinced the others to go all-in on the team’s 10-1 odds ahead of last season. They put even more money on the Warriors midway through the season at 6-1 once it was clear they would contend. In all, Beliveau said, the group had around $5,000 on the line.

His confidence was rewarded (and the trip secured) when Golden State claimed the title last month. The roughly $30,000 payout was more than enough to fund their trip to St Andrews. They even secured an $18,000 AirBnB across the street from the 18th green. And, of course, they sprinkled a little something on the golf.

Their biggest bet — on Rory McIlroy — would’ve helped fund their next trip to an Ole Miss football game in the fall, but fell flat on Sunday. But they did at least they did have a little action on winner Cameron Smith.

Going from St. Andrews to The Grove is just another in a series of fantastic decisions from this group.

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