Northern Ireland

Irish Open heartache for Rory McIlroy as he falls at the final hurdle

All eyes were on Royal County Down as Rasmus Hojgaard beat McIlory by a whisker

Rory McIlroy greets fans during on his way around the course at Royal County Down on Friday. Picture by PA
Rory McIlroy greets fans during on his way around the course at Royal County Down on Friday. (Liam McBurney/PA)
By Liam Grimley

RORY McIlroy has fallen at the final hurdle at the Irish Open, losing by the finest of margins to Danish golfer Rasmus Hojgaard.

The four-time major winner hoped to win his second Irish Open title, after topping the leaderboard in 2016.

But 23-year-old Dane played a blinder in the back nine, hitting six birdies.

More: Rory McIlroy dons Liverpool jersey after losing Late Late Show putting wager with Patrick Kielty

It all came down to the final putt on the 18th hole, with McIlroy needing to sink a 10-footer to force a play-off between him and his Danish counterpart.

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However, he wasn’t able to pull it off and he could only birdie the last hole and was one shot too short.

Recap our updates as they happened below.