NEWCASTLE, Northern Ireland (AP) — Rasmus Hojgaard birdied his last three holes Sunday for a 6-under 65 to win the Irish Open and hand Rory McIlroy another dose of disappointment before a raucous gallery at Royal County Down.
McIlroy had a two-shot lead on the back nine until Hojgaard put together a stunning charge down the stretch to win for the fifth time on the European tour and deny McIlroy a victory in his home country.
“Unfortunately, I’m getting used to it this year,” McIlroy said. “Hopefully, the tide is going to turn pretty soon, and I can turn all these close calls into victories.”
McIlroy had a pair of bogeys on the closing four holes that allowed Hojgaard, playing two groups in front of him, to charge to victory in stunning fashion.
The 23-year-old Dane got up-and-down from a bunker for birdie on the short par-4 16th, he holed a bunker shot for birdie on the 17th to take the lead, and then blasted out of the rough onto the front edge of the green for a two-putt birdie on the par-5 18th.
Hojgaard, who started the final round three shots behind McIlroy, finished on 9-under 275.
“I had a number today that I was trying to reach, and that was 8 (under). Obviously, coming in and finishing on 9 was gold,” he said.
Aaron Cockerill (71) of Stony Mountain, Man., tied for ninth at 2 under. He's projected to move up to 39th on the Race to Dubai Rankings on Monday.
It was another tough ending for McIlroy, who has three wins this year but lost the U.S. Open when he missed a pair of short par putts on the last three holes at Pinehurst No. 2, and had a late charge at the Olympics derailed by a wedge that went into the water.
This was a more subtle fade. His approach to the 15th just rolled off the right side of the green into a tough lie, leading to bogey that dropped him into a tie for the lead when Hojgaard birdied the 16th ahead of him.
McIlroy regained a share of the lead with a birdie on the 16th, but it all turned on the 17th.
Hojgaard already was in the clubhouse, one shot ahead of McIlroy who faced a 25-foot birdie putt at the 17th. But McIlroy ran his birdie attempt some 10 feet past the hole, and he missed the par putt to fall two shots behind.
McIlroy delivered two clutch shots on the par-5 closing hole, a 342-yard drive down the middle and a 7-iron to just outside 10 feet from the hole for an eagle chance to force a playoff. With thousands of spectators surrounding the green, McIlroy's putt stayed right all the way.
His birdie gave him a 69 and a runner-up finish. McIlroy, who grew up about an hour away to the north in Holywood, was trying to win on home soil as a pro for the first time.
He shot 80 and missed the cut the last time the Irish Open was at Royal County Down in 2015. At the 2019 British Open at Royal Portrush, McIlroy hit his opening tee shot out-of-bounds and shot 79, leading to a missed cut.
This looked like redemption before a loud and supportive home crowd, only for Hojgaard to deliver a brilliant finish to snatch the title away from him.
“If anything, it just whets my appetite even more for Portrush next year,” McIlroy said, referring to the British Open returning to Northern Ireland in 2025.
Hojgaard became the youngest player since Jose Maria Olazabal in 1989 to collect five wins on the European tour. This one effectively secures Hojgaard being among the 10 players from the Race to Dubai who can take up PGA Tour membership next year.
His twin brother, Nicolai Hojgaard, joined the U.S. circuit this year. His brother missed the cut in the Irish Open and stuck around to see Rasmus wait out the dramatic finish.
“It's a big confidence boost,” Rasmus Hojgaard said. “I knew it was going to be hard to battle with him and the rest of the guys out there. It was tight all the way down to the last putt. So yeah, it's a great boost for me for the rest of the year.”
Matteo Manassero of Italy, who started the final round one shot behind McIlroy, birdied the 18th for a 69 to finish alone in third. Dan Brown of England shot 66 to finish fourth.
Hojgaard became the second straight Dane to win at Royal County Down, following Soren Kjeldsen's victory in the 2015 Irish Open.
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
The Associated Press
