Rory McIlroy lived up to his billing as the home favourite when he overcame a stern challenge from Russell Knox to win the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open at a rain-lashed K Club in Dublin.
The Northern Irishman captured his first professional win on Irish soil with a closing 69 to make it European Tour win number 13 in County Kildare.
After missing the cut in the previous three renewals, McIlroy came into the final round with a three-shot lead, but was overtaken by Knox with three holes to play, before two stunning approach shots gave him an birdie-par-eagle finish and a 12 under total.
That handed him a three-shot win over Knox and Bradley Dredge, who had made a final day surge of his own with a birdie-birdie finish in a six-under-par 66.
McIlroy became the first player to win a European Tour event he has hosted and he will donate his winning prize of €666,660 to the Rory Foundation.
“I was trying to stay as relaxed as possible,” he said. “Even when Russell birded 14 and 15, which are two of the toughest holes on the course, I knew that my length would be an advantage over the last three holes. I told myself, ‘I’m still in this, I still have chances’. I didn’t quite think I’d end up with my three on the 18th, but I thought I still had a chance, so I stayed as patient as I possibly could. But when there are 30,000 people roaring you on, that’s quite hard. It was absolutely incredible.”
He added: “Just looking up there and seeing all my friends and family and the support that I’ve had this week. To win in front of them, I don’t get a chance to play in front my home fans very often so to play like that and to finish like that today, I’ll never forget it. I kept saying I’m close and I felt that I needed a week like this to kick-start something and there’s no better place than back here in Ireland to do it. Hopefully this is the catapult into another great summer.”
Essex’s Matthew Southgate finished fourth at eight under to claim the best result of his career just ten months after being diagnosed with testicular cancer. The 28 year old was in tears when he gained his card at PGA Catalunya Resort and there were similarly emotional scenes on the 18th in Ireland.
Martin Kaymer fired a closing 65 to get to six under alongside fellow German Maximilian Kieffer and England’s Tyrrell Hatton, with Rafa Cabrera Bello and Eddie Pepperell a further shot back.
Masters champion Danny Willett lead the tournament after the first round following an opening 65, and was playing in the final group on Sunday, but the Yorkshireman fell away on the back nine, finding the water three times and shooting a five-over par 77 to finish in a tie for 23rd.
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