2024 Irish Open winner: Rasmus Højgaard scores three closing birdies to upend Rory McIlroy's bid

The dream scenario at Royal County Down did not go McIlroy's way

By Kyle Porter Sep 15, 2024 at 1:49 pm ET• 3 min read

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.

Rasmus Højgaard! 🇩🇰

He joins the lead in style.#AmgenIrishOpen pic.twitter.com/HS9Zd8sI3o

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) September 15, 2024

Agony for Rory McIlroy.

Rasmus Højgaard wins the Amgen Irish Open 🏆#AmgenIrishOpen pic.twitter.com/eAZtCQmudV

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) September 15, 2024

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.