Amgen Irish Open Golf Championship 2024 - Day Four
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Rory McIlroy year of close calls added another chapter Sunday as the four-time major winner, who was in control of the 2024 Irish Open at Royal County Down throughout 54 holes, was chased down at the end by Rasmus Højgaard. The Dane birdied four of his last five holes -- the last three consecutively -- with a hole-out bunker shot on the 17th to win the Irish Open.

McIlroy, playing in the final pairing on home soil in Northern Ireland, birdied two of his last three holes only for a three-putt bogey on the 17th to be his undoing. McIlroy had a 27-foot putt for birdie but ran it past the hole, missing the comeback for par. He had a legitimate eagle opportunity on the 18th to force a playoff but came up short, narrowly burning the right edge.

McIlroy's 2-under 69 on Sunday was good enough to get him to 8 under, but Højgaard's insane 6-under 65 pushed him to 9 under for a one-shot victory.

It's not the first time this year McIlroy has been upended by a three putt on the final few holes of a massive national open.

"It is [the tough part of being a sports person]," he said. "Unfortunately, I'm getting used to it this year. Hopefully the tide is going to turn pretty soon, and I can turn all these close calls into victories."

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

"Yeah, it's a big confidence boost," Højgaard said. "I knew it was going to be hard to battle with him and the rest of the guys out there. Obviously, seeing he made a bogey there on 17 obviously changed everything. But again, 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."

McIlroy was obviously disappointed to not win his home open for a second time, especially given it would have ben his first victory in Northern Ireland, a place he admitted is sometimes tough to play because of the pressure and expectations he feels on home soil. Still, it was a good week for somebody who has not had a lot of opportunities to win since losing the 2024 U.S. Open to Bryson DeChambeau by one shot.

"That roar when I hit that second shot on 18 was pretty cool," McIlroy said of his bid for eagle at the 72nd hole of the tournament.

"Yeah, the support I got out there this week was absolutely amazing. I've had a great time being home. It's been too long. Need to keep coming back more often. From where I was at the start of the week and what I wanted to do, it's a step in the right direction. You know, if anything, it just whets my appetite even more for Portrush next year."

"Portrush next year" refers to the 2025 Open Championship, which will be played in Northern Ireland at Royal Portrush where McIlroy missed the cut in the 2019 playing of the tournament.

McIlroy will play several more times on the DP World Tour in 2024, including the finale at the DP World Tour Championship where he will try to win his sixth Race to Dubai, the league's season-long race. McIlroy is currently first in those standings by a wide margin having nearly doubled up the player in second, who as of now happens to be ... Rasmus Højgaard.

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