Bad beat: Jumping off the Kyle Stanley train one stop too early

We get plenty of golf strangeness in our email inboxes (and we always love more; email us here), but every so often you hear one that just makes you cringe. You’ll note that we do not advocate gambling on golf unless you win, and then we demand a cut. But here’s a story of a reader named Dan who actually took our advice … and still lost. Ouch. Take it away, Dan.

I read your Devil Ball Blog quite religiously. I’m an avid golfer, a diehard fan of the sport, and a frequent gambler. You know, a true man’s man. Anyway, I read Shane Bacon’s post earlier this year about his expectations for Kyle Stanley. I agreed with Shane and believed him. I recalled how well Kyle played last year, how much flexibility and power he has, and I decided I’d jump on the Kyle-train. I told myself that in every tournament Kyle plays in this year, I’d put at least $ 5 on him to win the tournament that week. Maybe $ 10. For the Farmer’s Insurance Open, that meant odds of 110:1.

We all know what happened there. [Editor’s note: Stanley lost while holding a three-shot lead on the final hole. But you knew that already. Sorry for the reminder, Dan.]

I was devasted. Crushed. A true degenerate low, to see your 110:1 underdog lose at the wire. So, going into the Waste Management Open, I decided to bet others. I couldn’t take another ride on the Kyle-train so soon. I went with fan favorite Ben Crane (Golf Boys!), Spencer Levin (he seems to play really well early in the year), and Jason Dufner (he lost in a playoff in Phoenix just a year ago!).

Well, we saw what happened. Kyle pulled off a comeback for the ages, and the three guys I bet all came oh-so-close.

Imagine getting told you won the lottery. Now imagine getting told you really didn’t. Now, imagine the person that told you you’d won the lottery robbing you one week later. That’s what I felt like Sunday.

Congrats to Kyle Stanley. He seems like a nice guy. But today I’m really, really, really not happy with his timing.

-Dan in, er, Vegas, because that’s where gambling on sports is legal.

Ooof. Kyle, if you’re reading this … you may want to steer clear of Dan for a little while.

Got a bad-beat golf story of your own? Hit us up here. We’re always willing to listen. Unless you’re late with your payment.

Devil Ball Golf – Golf – Yahoo! Sports