Rory's dad cashes in on victory

A LOT OF PEOPLE say they believe their children will be successful. Rory McIlroy's father put his money where his mouth is, and it reportedly paid off big.

According to Andrew Cotter, a reporter who works for the BBC, McIlroy's father, Gerry, and three friends made a legal wager 10 years ago that Rory would win the British Open by the time he turned 26.

Gerry and his mates, reported Cotter, collectively wagered 400 pounds. At 500-1 odds!

When Rory won the Open yesterday at age 25, he dedicated the victory to his mother, Rosie, who watched him win a major in person for the first time.

But it was Gerry who got the big payoff: The long-term bet was worth 200,000 pounds (nearly $350,000).

Andy Milovich, the general manager of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, is likely to get the finger in front of a stadium full of fans on Thursday night.

And he's fine with that.

Milovich has offered to get a prostate exam while singing "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" during the seventh-inning stretch of a game against the visiting Frederick Keys.

Under one condition: That 10-year-old Fallon Emery, a local girl who has brain cancer, gets 10,000 likes on her Fierce Fallon Facebook page by noon on Thursday. Go to facebook.com/fiercefallon. (The team will also be hosting a silent auction for her on Aug. 2).

"It's not like I would be getting [the exam] at home plate," he said. "I'll likely do it from our radio booth and the fans will see me from the shoulder up."

Thursday's game already had a prostate-awareness theme, with the first 1,000 men 18 and older receiving foam fingers with blue ribbons on them.

"If what we do saves a kid from having to lose his or her father because they get checked out, this will be worth it," Milovich said.