Exit can’t take from RoryMcIlroy’s Open pride

He may not have enjoyed his two days’ play at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open but Rory McIlroy had got his missed cut out of his system by Sunday to declare the tournament he hosted an incredible success.

McIlroy’s heavy involvement in the 2015 Irish Open at Royal County Down saw his Rory Foundation support the tournament in an official capacity while behind the scenes the world number one brought in the title sponsor and a host of the game’s great golfers to make last week the strongest field for the event in decades.

A sell-out crowd for each of the four days could have been even higher were it not for the tight confines and difficult terrain of the links at Royal County Down with the weather and McIlroy’s poor performance in missing the cut the only dampeners on the week.