McIlroy seemed poised to secure his first professional win on home soil, leading by two shots with just four holes remaining at Royal County Down, near where he grew up.

However, Hojgaard fired a brilliant closing round of 65, including four birdies in the last five holes – with three coming consecutively from the 16th. Meanwhile, McIlroy three-putted the 17th and narrowly missed an eagle putt on the 18th, which would have forced a playoff.

A disappointed McIlroy, who also missed out on his first major since 2014 after bogeying three of the final four holes at the U.S. Open in June, reflected: “Unfortunately, this year I’m getting used to it.

“Hopefully, things will turn around soon, and I can convert these close calls into wins.

“That roar when I hit my second shot on 18 was amazing. The support out there this week was unbelievable, and I don’t take it for granted.

“I had to work hard to stay composed walking up the 18th. I wish I could play in front of fans like these every week.”



On the LIV Golf Tour, European Ryder Cup winner Jon Rahm won LIV Chicago and the individual LIV Golf championship, beating Joaquin Niemann in the season standings. Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers GC won the team competition.

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Hello reader, I'm Ben. I love to write and talk about sports and I am, unfortunately, hopeless at golf. Thanks for reading! 

Ben Lynch