McIlroy misses out in Irish Open heartache

McIlroy misses out in Irish Open heartache

18 September 2024

THERE was disappointment for Rory McIlroy and his many fans at Royal County Down on Sunday evening.

McIlroy was the hot favourite, but came up agonisingly short as Denmark’s Ramsus Hojgaard snatched victory and the $1 million first prize by one shot.

McIlroy led by four shots at one stage, but bogeys at the 15th and 17th left him needing an eagle at the last to force a play-off.

A booming drive and a magnificent seven iron left him with a 15-footer to tie, but his putt missed by millimetres and the title went to Hojgaard, who followed in the footsteps of his compatriot Soren Kjeldsen, winner when the Irish Open was last held at Royal Co Down in 2015.

On a dramatic final day Hojgaard came out of the pack, birdying four of the last five holes, two of them courtesy of chip-ins.

For McIlroy it was a repeat of his US Open disappointment back in June when he looked to set to prevail only for two bogeys in the last three holes to hand victory to Bryson DeChambeau.

Hojgaard aside, the other big winner of the week was Newcastle.

The town looked magnificent, particularly on Sunday, as people came in their thousands to enjoy the late summer sunshine.

An estimated 100,000 descended on the resort over five days and boosted the local economy to the tune an estimated £4 million.

The action from Royal County Down with the Mourne mountains providing a stunning back was beamed to millions of homes around the world.

The success of the tournament was down to a partnership involving the DP World Tour, sponsors Amgen, Tourism NI and Newry, Mourne and Down Council.