Irish Open 2024 winner: Rasmus Højgaard hits three birdies to overturn Rory McIlroy deficit

Rory McIlroy’s tight year added another chapter on Sunday as the four-time major winner, who controlled the 2024 Irish Open at Royal County Down for 54 holes, was caught by Rasmus Højgaard late in the match. The Dane birdied four of his last five holes — the last three in a row — with a bunker shot out wide on the 17th to win the Irish Open.

McIlroy, playing the final pair on home soil in Northern Ireland, made two birdies. his McIlroy had a 27-foot putt for birdie but ran past the hole, missing the chance to come back for par. He had a real chance to eagle the 18th to force a play-off but missed, nearly burning the right edge.

McIlroy’s 2-under 69 on Sunday was enough to move him to 8-under, but Højgaard’s impressive 6-under 65 moved him to 9-under and won by a stroke.

It’s not the first time this year that McIlroy has been beaten by three putts in the final few holes of a national open tournament.

“That is [the tough part of being a sports person]”Unfortunately, this year I’m used to it. Hopefully things will change soon, and I can turn all those near misses into wins.”

For Højgaard, whose older brother Nicolai played on last year’s Ryder Cup team, it was his first win of the year and arguably the biggest of his career.

“Yeah, it was a big confidence boost,” Højgaard said. “I knew it was going to be tough to fight him and the others out there. Obviously, seeing him make a bogey there on the 17th hole obviously changed things. But again, it was tight until the last putt. So yeah, it was a big boost for me for the rest of the year.”

McIlroy was clearly disappointed not to win his second home Open, especially as it would have been his first in Northern Ireland, a place he admitted was sometimes difficult to play in because of the pressure and expectation he felt on home soil. Still, it was a good week for someone who hasn’t had much of a chance to win since losing by a stroke to Bryson DeChambeau at the 2024 US Open.

“The cheers when I made my second shot on 18 were amazing,” McIlroy said of his eagle attempt on the 72nd hole of the tournament.

“Yeah, the support I’ve had this week has been really great. I’ve had a great time at home. It’s been too long. Need to come back more often. From where I was at the start of the week and what I wanted to do, this is a step in the right direction. You know, if anything, it just makes me want Portrush even more next year.”

“Next year’s Portrush” refers to the 2025 Open Championship, which will be held in Northern Ireland at Royal Portrush, where McIlroy failed to qualify in the 2019 tournament.

McIlroy will play several more DP World Tour events in 2024, including the finale at the DP World Tour Championship, where he will attempt to win his sixth Race to Dubai, the tour’s season-long race. McIlroy currently sits atop the leaderboard by a wide margin, nearly double the player in second place, currently… Rasmus Højgaard.

Rick Gehman, Kyle Porter and Mark Immelman recap the 2024 Procore Championship and everything else from an eventful weekend of golf. Watch & listen to The First Cut on Apple Podcasts And Spotify.