How a pro golfer’s $10 Nassau spiraled into a $900 payday

Michael Allen has had a long career in professional golf. The 63-year-old currently competes on the PGA Tour Champions where he has eight victories, including the 2009 Senior PGA.

But it turns out, the most competitive action he’s seen in recent years may be happening off the pro circuit.

On this week’s episode of GOLF’s Subpar, Allen talked extensively about his love for Mesa Country Club in Mesa, Ariz., and how much fun he has playing with a number of pros who are members there, including Joel Dahmen and Brandon Harkins. Allen also plays a lot with Gary McCord, who had a starring role in an epic story he shared about how a $10 Nassau spiraled into an extravagant wager.

Before answering, Allen laughed. “McCord!” he said to hosts Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz.

“Well, [my opponent] kept doubling,” he began. “I did shoot 60. McCord gave up. And basically, [my opponent] kept doubling, and all that.”

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The match pitted McCord and his partner against Allen and his partner.

“Ten birdies, 12 birdies, it’s always going to be a lot.” Allen explained.

“Little friendly game, little $10 Nassau. You owe me $900,” Stoltz joked.

“I think it was actually more than that, but we’ll go with that,” Allen responded, as the guys all laughed.

Though it seems hard to believe, all it takes is seven presses on a $10 bet to reach a total stake of $1,280 — so it’s easier than you’d think to run up a big tab!

For more from Allen, including why Jon Rahm’s training regimen is so impressive, check out the full interview below.

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Golf.com Editor

As a four-year member of Columbia’s inaugural class of female varsity golfers, Jessica can out-birdie everyone on the masthead. She can out-hustle them in the office, too, where she’s primarily responsible for producing both print and online features, and overseeing major special projects, such as GOLF’s inaugural Style Is­sue, which debuted in February 2018. Her origi­nal interview series, “A Round With,” debuted in November of 2015, and appeared in both in the magazine and in video form on GOLF.com.

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