Rory McIlroy suffers agonising Irish Open defeat as Rasmus Hojgaard triumphs

Rory McIlroy endured another heartbreaking loss as he was narrowly defeated by Denmark’s Rasmus Hojgaard in a thrilling final round of the Irish Open at Royal County Down. Despite holding the lead going into the day, McIlroy’s final round of 69 wasn’t enough to secure the title, as Hojgaard produced an incredible performance, shooting a stunning 65 to claim victory at nine-under par.

The Danish golfer’s spectacular finish proved decisive, as McIlroy experienced his second painful defeat of the year. At one point, the Northern Irishman seemed poised to win his first professional tournament on home soil, holding a two-shot lead with just four holes remaining. However, Hojgaard closed with a flurry of birdies—four in the last five holes—while McIlroy faltered at a crucial moment, bogeying the 17th.

McIlroy’s hopes rested on an eagle opportunity on the 18th, which could have forced a playoff. Unfortunately, his putt from 15 feet just missed, sealing Hojgaard’s victory.

This disappointment followed another near miss for McIlroy earlier in the year, when he led the US Open but bogeyed three of the final four holes, allowing the title to slip away. In the Irish Open, he once again began strongly, holding a one-shot lead into the final round. Birdies on the first two holes extended his lead, and when his playing partner, Matteo Manassero, dropped shots on the third and fourth, McIlroy’s advantage grew to four strokes.

However, McIlroy’s momentum stalled when he bogeyed the seventh hole after failing to get up and down from the left side of the green. He also missed birdie chances from inside 10 feet on both the eighth and ninth holes, leaving the door open for Hojgaard.

Hojgaard seized the opportunity with a sensational chip-in for birdie on the 10th, reducing McIlroy’s lead. Although McIlroy responded with a birdie on the 11th to go two shots ahead, the tide began to turn as Hojgaard birdied the 16th, and McIlroy dropped a shot on the 15th, leveling the contest.

The 17th hole proved pivotal as Hojgaard holed out from a greenside bunker for another birdie, his third in a row, putting pressure on McIlroy. While McIlroy managed to birdie the 16th to stay in the hunt, he overhit his birdie putt on the 17th and missed the return, leaving him needing an eagle on the 18th to extend the match.

McIlroy’s final approach shot, from 191 yards, gave him a chance to salvage the day with a 15-foot eagle putt. But as the ball slid agonizingly wide of the hole, McIlroy’s dream of winning the Irish Open on home soil slipped away, and Hojgaard celebrated a remarkable triumph.