Rory McIlroy suffers Irish Open agony at Royal County Down
Rory McIlroy suffered more late agony as a storming Rasmus Hojgaard denied the home favourite victory at the Irish Open on Sunday.
Denmark's Hojgaard produced a superb final round of 65 to clinch victory by one shot at Royal County Down.
McIlroy will once again be left to ponder what could have been, having led by two shots with just four holes remaining.
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Hojgaard birdied six of the back nine - including the final three holes - while bogeys for McIlroy at 15 and 17 saw the Northern Ireland golfer slip relinquish the lead to the Dane.
It left McIlroy two shots down going up the Par 5 last and needing an eagle to force a playoff, and despite a superb approach shot to within 12 feet, the Holywood man pushed his putt past the right edge of the hole to hand Hojgaard victory.
It is a round that compounded McIlroy's woes this year, and stoked some memories of his late collapse at the US Open back in June when he bogeyed three of the last four holes to lose out by a shot to Bryson DeChambeau.
And while there was no major on offer in Newcastle, missing the chance to record a morale-boosting win in front of his home fans will sting for some time.
Leading by a shot starting the final round, the 35-year-old's day got off to the perfect start with birdies at the opening two holes to cement his position at the top of the leaderboard. The crowd was getting excited, and the atmosphere ramped up when nearest rival Matteo Manassero bogeyed three and four.
A dropped shot at seven kept McIlroy within one shot of the chasing pack, but a birdie at 11 saw him open up a two-shot advantage over Manassero, Hojgaard and Daniel Brown who was first to post a clubhouse lead of six-under-par.
Englishman Brown produced a superb final round of five-under-par (66) to climb the leaderboard, and keep some pressure on McIlroy who had looked cool, calm and collected throughout the day.
But as Hojgaard started to apply the pressure in the back nine, McIlroy's own chances started to unravel.
The Dane birdied 10, 12, 14, 16, 17 and 18. He chipped in at both the 10th and 17th, a sign of what was to come for the champion, and also McIlroy whose bogeys at 15 and 17 appeared to end the Ulsterman's chances.
There was some late drama, however, when McIlroy set up an eagle opportunity on the last with a sensational approach shot which left him with a 12-foot putt to force the play-off.
But with the crowd falling silent, McIlroy pushed his putt just past the right edge of the hole to declare Hojgaard champion.
Hojgaard told 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."
He added: "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."
More to follow...
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