Rasmus Hojgaard birdied the last three holes on Sunday at Royal County Down to post 6-under 65 and claim a thrilling one-shot victory over Rory McIlroy at the Irish Open.
McIlroy was two clear of Hojgaard with four holes to play and seemed headed for his first win on home soil as a pro. But a Hojgaard hot streak coupled with two untimely bogeys from McIlroy flipped the script.
“Unfortunately, I’m getting used to it this year,” McIlroy said. “Hopefully, the tide is going to turn pretty soon and I can turn all these close calls into victories.”
McIlroy bogeyed two of the final four closing four holes (Nos. 15 and 17), allowing the 23-year-old Dane to overtake the home favorite with a closing hat trick of birdies to reach 9 under.
“I had a number today that I was trying to reach, and that was 8 [under]. Obviously, coming in and finishing on 9 was gold,” said Hojgaard.
While McIlroy has three wins on the year, his season will be more remembered for the painful losses, namely the collapse at the U.S. Open in Pinehurst, the late struggles at the France Olympics, and now this defeat where he was trying to win in Northern Ireland for the first time as a pro.
“If anything, it just whets my appetite even more for Portrush next year,” McIlroy said, referring to the Open Championship returning to Northern Ireland in 2025.
Matteo Manassero of Italy birdied 18 for a final-day 69 to finish solo third on 7 under, one clear of England’s Dan Brown (66).
