More down the stretch frustration for Rory McIlroy as Hojgaard seals Irish Open win
SO CLOSE: Rory McIlroy reacts after missing an eagle chance to force a play off on the 18th at the Amgen Iris Open.
A three-putt at the penultimate hole proved Rory McIlroy’s undoing at Royal County Down as Denmark’s Rasmus Hojgaard claimed the 2024 Amgen Irish Open title on Sunday.
It was the 23-year-old Dane’s fifth DP World Tour victory, his first of 2024 and was thoroughly deserved following a final-round 65, six under par, to reach nine under for the tournament but this was an event McIlroy will be kicking himself that he was unable to stay the course having lead by a stroke going into the final round.
His two-under-par 69 was not enough to close out his first professional win in his native Northern Ireland and while he has cemented his position at the top of the Race To Dubai rankings, the tour’s order of merit, this will go down as another final-round disappointment in a season of near misses.
Victory from strong final-day positions slipped from the four-time major champion’s grasp at the US Open in particular and as McIlroy acknowledged a standing ovation from the big crowds surrounding the 18th green at Royal County Down he will have done so with immense disappointment as Hojgaard celebrated his €920,000-plus first prize.
The Dane had needed to go low in his final round to have an impact but England’s Paul Waring had given an early indication that the benign conditions, the best of the week, could lead to low scoring, with a seven-under 64 posted before the leaders had teed off.
Starting a shot ahead of Mateo Manassero, both McIlroy and the Italian birdied the first before the four-time major winner extended his lead to two with a birdie at the second.
As McIlroy advanced, Manassero was in retreat with back-to-back bogeys at the third and fourth to fall back to four under par as McIlroy found himself three in front from England’s Dan Brown. Yet there was soon another threat to his lead in the shape of Denmark’s Rasmus Hojgaard. The 23-year-old had started the day at three under par, three off the Irishman’s overnight lead and he put the squeeze on McIlroy as the leaders turned for home. The Dane was one under for his front nine thanks a birdie at the ninth and he sank two more before a bogey at the 13th momentarily checked his charge. Birdies at 14 and 16 followed and when a third followed with hole out from a greenside bunker at 17, Hojgaard edged in front as he strode purposefully to the last.
McIlroy had bogeyed the seventh and then missed a couple of birdie opportunities from inside 10 feet but he drained a 20-footer at the par-four 11th, only to bogey again at 15. The Irishman had heard the roar as Hojgaard sent his bunker shot into the hole and he responded with a birdie at the 16 to tie the lead at eight under, tapping in from three feet after an excellent effort from just in front of the green.
Hojgaard applied more pressure with a birdie at the par-five 18th to close with a 65 and McIlroy this time had no response, sending a 27-foot birdie putt nine feet past the hole and missing the putt back before taking bogey.
McIlroy now needed an eagle at the 18th to force a play-off and he set about it the right way with a 342-yard drive straight down the middle of the fairway. With 191 yards to the pin he nailed his 7-iron approach and was followed to the 72nd by a huge gallery at his back, eager to watch the eagle attempt from 10 feet. There was a collective gasp as the ball trickled past the hole as McIlroy stared at the ground in disbelief. Hojgaard, watching from the scorer’s room, had a similar reaction.
As the leaders were jostling for position early in their rounds, Shane Lowry was already turning his attentions towards next Thursday’s first round of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, the Tour’s flagship tournament which he won two years ago.
Lowry’s hopes of a Sunday showdown with his old friend McIlroy faded after a third-round 74 but the 2019 Open champion signed off from Royal County Down with a three-under-par 68 and a share of 12th place at one under for 72 holes. He will travel to Surrey happy with both his game and the prospect of a return to one of his favourite courses.
“My game feels good. Need to tidy up my iron play. But yeah, my game feels really good. I'm driving the ball really well, and happy with what my putter is doing. So if everything clicks, you never know.
“Like, I don’t have to get on the tee and look at the book 10 times before hitting my tee shots. Yeah, I’m looking forward to going. I will try and rest as much as I can the next few days, play the pro-am and then go play because I’m certainly not under-golfed at the minute.” Far from it. The world number 32 came into Irish Open week fatigued and life on the road is losing its attraction at this late stage of the season two-thirds of the way through a 10-week, nine-event run.
“I’m not going to lie, the golf is fine. It’s just being away from home and being away from the kids is getting harder and harder. They both understand now that you’re away and that’s the hardest part.
“I’ve got three weeks left in this run and I am counting down the days but also still trying to focus on my job and career and play as good golf as I can.
“I have a Ryder Cup to make so this will help hopefully but I looked at my schedule last week and after the Dunhill I have probably got two tournaments in about three months. That’s going to be pretty nice. Even some time to rest and work on other stuff and just get myself ready for next season.” end
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