Rasmus Hojgaard admitted he struggled to watch in the closing stages after beating Rory McIlroy to the Irish Open title. The Dane shot a sublime final round 65, including two chips ins on the back nine, to edge out the home hero by a single shot.
Hojgaard’s jubilation was in stark contrast to McIlroy again suffering tournament heartbreak, following the meltdown that cost him the US Open in June.
The 35-year-old begun the day with a one shot lead over Italian Matteo Manassero, and three clear of Hojgaard.
And victory looked on the cards when he birdied the opening two holes to open up a four shot advantage. However, as Hojgaard surged, the leader missed simple birdie putts at the eighth and ninth which derailed his momentum.
In a finish that then brought back harrowing memories of his faltering finish at Pinehurst, he bogeyed the 15th and 17th, and was left needing an eagle on the last to have any hope of forcing a play-off. But he could only make birdie to finish -8, one off the eventual winner.
And McIlroy appeared disconsolate as the crowd offered polite applause. Hojgaard meanwhile, struggled to speak about his remarkable fightback win, telling Sky Sports: “I don’t know how to sum it up.
“It was a hard watch in the end but I had a number I tried to reach today, which was eight. So coming in on -9 was gold. I am so happy. To get this one is massive.
“There were pivotal moments for me today. The chip ins were massive. This couldn’t come at a better time. There are some great events at this part of the season. I am a step closer to my goal and I can’ wait to see what rest of season brings.”
“This gives me a lot of confidence. It is a big boost. I knew it would be hard to battle with Rory and the rest of the guys out there. Obviously seeing he made a bogey on 17 changed everything. But it was tight all the way down to the final putt.”
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