Rasmus Hojgaard delivered a thrilling finish to edge out Rory McIlroy by a single shot, denying him a memorable victory at the Irish Open at Royal County Down.
The home favorite entered the final day with a one-shot advantage which quickly turned into a four shot advantage in the early stages of the final round but the four-time major winner let his lead slip by dropping shot at 15 and 17 which proved decisive as Hojgaard hit four birdies in the final five holes to snatch a one-shot victory and claim his fifth DP World Tour title.
The Dane hit a six-under 65 to post a new clubhouse target of nine under as Rory McIlroy’s hopes of earning a first ever professional victory in Northern Ireland ended when he failed to eagle putt the last which would have forced a play-off.
“It was tight all the way down to the last putt,” Hojgaard said. “It’s a great boost for me for the rest of the year.”
This close call for McIlroy extends his frustrating run of narrow misses in 2024, adding to his agonising defeats at the U.S. Open and the Paris Olympics.
“I felt like I was in control of the tournament for most of the day,” McIlroy said. “I felt like I was playing really solid, doing what I needed to do, making a lot of pars, making the odd birdie. Then obviously the two bogeys on 15 and 17 opened the door for someone to have a good finish like what Rasmus did there on the last few holes.
“Unfortunately I played well this week, missing the green right on 15 was the place that you can’t go. And just misjudged the speed with the first putt on 17. Overall, obviously really disappointed that I didn’t win but I’ll try to take the positives and move on next week to Wentworth.”
Italy’s Matteo Manassero completed the top three by ending the tournament on seven under.
What is the next event?
The next event on the DP World Tour schedule is the BMW PGA Championship taking place between 19-22 September at Wentworth Club in England.