That roar ... Rory McIlroy's incredible year goes on after 72nd-hole eagle putt sets up dramatic win
Northern Irishman adds another exciting chapter to his memorable 2025 campaign
Rory McIlroy landed his first win as golf’s newest career grand slam club member in style as the Masters champion holed an eagle putt on the 72nd hole before claiming the Amgen Irish Open for the second time in a play-off at The K Club.
Raising one of the biggest roars of the year, McIlroy rolled in a 27-footer for his closing eagle to match Joakim Lagergren’s 17-under-par clubhouse total after the Swede had made a late eagle himself at the 16th before finishing with a birdie as both players signed off with 66s.
Playing the par-5 18th on each occasion, the title rivals halved in birdies at the first two attempts to determine a winner before Lagergren found the water with his approach at the third extra hole and was unable to match McIlroy’s 4 on this occasion.
The home fans broke into cries of “Rory, Rory, Rory” as they celebrated the 36-year-old repeating his 2016 title triumph at the same venue, with this win seeing McIlroy become the first player to rack up 20 DP World Tour victories since Miguel Angel Jimenez achieved the feat in 2014.
The success came in the week that McIlroy had already thrilled the Irish golf fans by wearing his Green Jacket after winning The Masters in April to join Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the only players to complete a career grand slam.
“It does,” said McIlroy, speaking on Sky Sports Golf, in reply to being asked if this success had made his year even more memorable. “To do what I did earlier in the year and then come home and win my national Open, 2025 is going to go down as one of the best, if not the best in my career.”
McIlroy, who joined both Colin Montgomerie and Sam Torrance among others as a multiple Irish Open winner, started the closing circuit with a bogey before getting into his stride with three birdies in the next four holes.
He also picked up a shot at the ninth to be out 32 before making another gain when his six-footer went all the way round the hole at the par-4 13th, his reaction to it dropping showing what a good break that might prove at the end of the day.
His hopes of winning looked to have been dashed when he then had to settle for a par at the 16th, but, not for the first time in his career, the five-time major winner came up with something special when he needed it.
‘It felt like it was a little bit of redemption’
“I don’t think so,” he replied to being asked if he’d holed a better putt that his crucial one at the 18th. “I had a putt on the last green last year at RCD (Royal County Down) to force a play-off with Rasmus [Hojgaard] and it just missed on the high side. So it felt like it was a little bit of redemption. It was such a cool feeling for that to go in. Yeah, that gave me a chance in the play-off.
“The way 18 was playing today, it just felt like it was a case of who was going to blink first and Joakim hit a poor second shot in and that opened the door for me. Yeah, just so happy to win my second Irish Open.”
The win cemented his position at the top of the Race to Dubai Rankings as McIlroy bids to land that title for the fourth consecutive season and seventh time in total.
“Look, I feel just so lucky that I get to do this in front of these people,” he said of this success in front of home fans. “The support has been absolutely amazing all week. I thought it was going to be a nice week obviously coming home with the Green Jacket, but this has been absolutely incredible. This has exceeded all my expectations. I am just so happy that I played the way I did this week for all of them and get the win.”
As a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” broke out, McIlroy added: “Hopefully we will be getting a bit of it in a few weeks’ time at the Ryder Cup. It is absolutely incredible. I love coming home. I love playing in this atmosphere. Look, moments like this are the ones you are going to remember long after your career is over. This is a really special event.
“I feel very fortunate because there’s probably very few golfers in the world who get the support I get when I go home. Maybe Jon Rahm in Spain and there’s maybe a few others. But this is absolutely incredible. I don’t take it for granted. I feel very lucky that I get to do this and I can’t wait to celebrate tonight.”
‘I’m so happy my game is in good shape’
McIlroy will join his 11 Ryder Cup team-mates at Wentworth, where the BMW PGA Championship starts on Thursday, before turning his attention to Europe’s bid to win on US soil for the first time since 2012 at Bethpage Black.
“It’s not finished yet,” he said of his year to remember. “I’ve got a big week next week at Wentworth and then obviously everyone is looking forward to the Ryder Cup. “I’m so happy my game is in good shape. I feel like I am playing well and that excites me for what is coming up.”
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