It was another case of so near yet so far for Rory McIlroy as his hopes of adding another Irish Open were dashed by a mad few closing holes.
Having suffered a similar fate at the US Open where he found himself in command with just a few holes to go but would end up cruelly missing out to Bryson DeChambeau, fate would rear its ugly head once again as Rasmus Hojgaard would time his charge perfectly to deny McIlroy a hero’s reception.
In what was a sensational four days of golf, here is a recap of the best of the action.
Rasmus Hojgaard Shows Why he is One of The Most Promising Talents in European Golf With Biggest Title to Date
Rasmus Hojgaard has long been touted as the next European golfer who is expected to make a big impact in the game. Still just 23, the Dane’s Irish Open victory was the fifth European Tour victory of his young career and was the biggest prize of his career to date.
On course to lock up one of the PGA Tour spots available to those who qualify near the top of the Race to Dubai standings, Hojgaard has been a feature on both the Masters and US Open leaderboards before falling away through the final rounds. The young Dane also handled the Ryder Cup with ease and more than contributed to Europe’s 2023 victory, it is likely that he will play another major role by the time that the Ryder Cup rolls around next year.
In tough battling conditions through the first three rounds of the Irish Open, Hojgaard did an excellent job in staying in touch, but it was in the final round where his golf truly came alive.
Trailing the four time major winner by four strokes, Hojgaard’s putter got hot at the right time as he went on a birdie charge on the back nine.
Finding birdies on the 10th and 12th holes, he didn’t let a bogey on the 13th stop him and he responded with another birdie on 14 before posting a trio of birdies on the 16th, 17th and 18th holes.
Starting earlier than McIlroy, Hojgaard’s finishing score of -9, didn’t look like it would be enough but with McIlroy starting to feel the pressure of leading, the mistakes started to come
An errant approach to the 15th green, would leave the Northern Irishman facing a real battle to save his par and as his slippery chip trundled on past the hole, he would be unable to rescue his par. That shot would be regained on the 16th but the ultimate damage would come on the 17th.
Finding himself one shot behind, the jitters on the green that had plagued him at Pinehurst returned and a costly three putt would leave him needing to eagle the last to take the tournament into a playoff.
The final hole is a fitting amphitheatre for one of the best golf courses in the world. An intimidating par 5, McIlroy hit a beautiful tee shot which he followed up with one of his best approach shots of the week. Knocking his approach to 15 feet, McIlroy’s eagle putt would cruelly just slide past the hole to leave McIlroy rueing another missed opportunity.
For Hojgaard, this win will be significant. Not only does it virtually guarantee him a PGA Tour card for next season, but it also moves him into contention for the overall Race to Dubai crown.
Now finding himself second in the overall standings, he still has a lot of work to do to overthrow McIlroy who holds a commanding overall lead, however if he can play well at this week’s BMW Championship, he could be in with a real chance of taking McIlroy all the way to the season ending finale.
Is McIlroy in Danger of Becoming a Choker?
No professional sportsman or woman wants to be labelled as a choker but there is a bit of a danger that McIlroy is starting to fall into that category. Now having gone 11 years without winning a major title, that is simply too long for a man of his many talents, and with Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele looking imperious, McIlroy’s long wait of winning that elusive major doesn’t show any immediate signs of slowing.
That run could have come to an end at the 2024 US Open but McIlroy couldn’t conquer his putting daemons. With his putting stroke breaking down, when the pressure is on, McIlroy has had a tendency to miss the putts when they matter most.
The worrying thing for McIlroy is that ever since that forgettable day, this was the first time that he found himself back in contention and the putting woes had returned. Whereas it happening once can often be completely overlooked, there must be a concern that this could grow into a problem and until McIlroy can get over the line, it is likely to be a question that persists.
Likely to find himself back in a winning situation sometime soon, McIlroy will want to get over the winning line so that he can finally put any conversations of him being a choker firmly to bed.
What Next on The Road to The Race to Dubai?
With the PGA Tour season in its fall schedule and with the Presidents Cup just around the corner, this is the time of season where the DP World Tour takes centre stage.
This week several of Europe’s best will head to Wentworth for the BMW PGA Championship. One of the signature events of the DP World Tour, it offers the maximum amount of Race to Dubai points and for those looking to manoeuvre themselves up the overall standings, this is a week where they will need to play well
Rory McIlroy will continue in his quest to capture a third successive Race to Dubai title and will headline both the field and betting. After missing the Irish Open, Tommy Fleetwood is back on UK soil and will start as the second favourite with Shane Lowry completing the top three.
Looking to make it a historic double, Rasmus Hojgaard looks like one of the best value picks of the week and can be backed at 22/1, another decent option at a price could be Justin Rose. A veteran around Wentworth, he is priced attractively at 35/1 and could give anyone who backs him a really good run for their money.
Jack Hartman
A keen golfer and huge fan of the game, Jack has been covering golf for the last five years. Bringing you all the latest coverage and news from the PGA, LIV, LPGA and DP World Tours, never before has golf been so popular and Jack can’t wait to bring all the excitement to his readers.
