Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy is no stranger to heartbreaks on the golf course, especially this year. After losing the US Open in a close call, he met with a similar fate at the recently concluded 2024 Irish Open.
McIlroy was playing in front of his home crowd at the Royal County Down Golf Championship Course in Northern Ireland. He looked very much in contention to secure the title, and it would have been nothing less than a fairytale had he pulled it off. Unfortunately, the victory was not in his cards, as he lost to Danish golfer Rasmus Hojgaard by one shot.
Rory McIlroy had gone into the final round on Sunday with a one-shot lead over Matteo Mannassero. His lead extended to four in the early hours of the round. However, two bogeys on his part cut the game wide open for Hojgaard. The Dane, on his part, capitalized on the opportunity with four birdies on the last five holes.
Not losing hope, the crowd favorite, McIlroy, attempted an eagle with a splendid iron shot from the fairway. However, the resulting putt narrowly missed the hole. This was the 35-year-old’s second close-call loss this year after losing to Bryson DeChambeau at the 2024 US Open in June.
In a post-match press interview, a visibly upset McIlroy talked about his misfortune this year.
“I am getting used to it unfortunately this year. Hopefully the tide’s gonna turn pretty soon and I can turn all these close calls into victories,”
The 5-time major champion also reflected on his gameplay and how the scales suddenly tipped in Rasmus Hojgaard’s favor.
“I felt like I was in control of the tournament for most of the day. I felt I was playing really solid and doing what I needed to do. Making a lot of pars, making the odd birdie. Then obviously the two bogeys on 15 and 17 opened the door for someone to have a good finish like what Rasmus did on the last few holes. Missing the green right on 15 is the place you can’t go and then I just misjudged the pace with the first putt on 17,”
He further added:
“Overall obviously really disappointed that I didn’t win but I’ll try to take the positives and move on next week to Wentworth,”
McIlroy will next be seen at the BMW PGA Championship at the Wentworth Golf Club in Virginia Water, Surrey, England.
