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Man who won $1.19M on Tiger bet says it was his 1st-ever sports wager

David Becker / Getty Images Entertainment / Getty

James Adducci, the man who made headlines after betting $85,000 on Tiger Woods to win the 2019 Masters, had apparently never placed a sports wager before walking into a William Hill sportsbook in Las Vegas last week.

The 39-year-old Wisconsin native told Golf Digest's Stephen Hennessey that he withdrew the $85,000 out of a bank in Las Vegas after ordering the cash out of a business account containing failed stock money a week earlier. After being turned away by two other sportsbooks, the SLS Las Vegas Hotel & Casino decided to accept his wager.

"I had never placed a bet on sports in my life," Adducci said.

On Monday, Adducci was presented with $1.19 million from William Hill - the largest liability for a single golf wager in the company's United States history. He and his wife plan to use the money to pay off most of their debt.

"I'm a responsible guy," he said. "My background is finance. I'm going to invest most of it. And we're going to grow it."

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