Royal County Down win my ‘most special moment': Irish Open champion confirms he will defend title
The 24-year-old upset the home fans at the Mourne links a year ago when his stunning final round 65 helped him edge out Rory McIlroy by a shot to clinch the fifth win of his DP World Tour career.
McIlroy, who at one point had led by four shots during the final round, had an eagle putt on the par-five 18th to force a play-off despite bogeying two of his three prior holes, but ultimately came up just short as four birdies in his last five earned Højgaard the victory.
Off the back of his Irish Open success, Højgaard has gone from strength to strength, making the cut in eight of his first 11 events this season on the PGA Tour and playing the weekend at both The Masters and the US PGA Championship.
And the World No.64 is keen to go back-to-back after announcing he will return to the tournament this year at The K Club, which begins on September 4, adding to a star-studded field that already includes the likes of McIlroy, Shane Lowry and Séamus Power.
'Winning the Amgen Irish Open last year was one of the most special moments of my career,' said Højgaard. 'To do it in such dramatic fashion, against such a strong field, is something I'll never forget.
'I'm really looking forward to returning to The K Club this September. It's a world-class venue with a rich history, and the Irish fans always create an incredible atmosphere. Defending my title there will be a real honour.
'The Irish Open is always one of the highlights of the season. It's a special tournament to me and I'm excited to be part of it again and hopefully give myself a chance to lift the trophy one more time.'
This is the second time the Palmer North Course at The K Club will host the event in the last three years as part of a deal between the Irish Open and the venue that will see it also stage the tournament in 2027.
McIlroy is looking for his second win at the Kildare course having produced a scintillating final round performance to win his, to date, only Irish Open in 2016, with Sweden's Vincent Norrman triumphing in 2023.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Record
27 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Honest Rory McIlroy slaughters golf sheep and makes worrying admission over motivation
Grand Slam superstar confession over drive after Masters win Honest Rory McIlroy admits top golf stars are like sheep as he confessed struggles for motivation after his Masters high. The Northern Irish superstar is back after a fortnight off for the RDC Canadian Open at TPC Toronto having sidestepped golf since his chaotic PGA Championship. McIlroy was left fuming at the fact a leak revealed his driver had been non-conforming, but the bigger concern for his ardent fans during his pre-tournament speech at Caldeon was around the fact he's toiled during the break to feel a drive within his practice. Having won a career Grand Slam and fulfilled his lifetime goals, the push for the next target is going to be a tough one as he said: 'The last few weeks I've had a couple weeks off and grinding on the range for three or four hours every day is maybe a little tougher than it used to be. You have this event in your life that you've worked towards and it happens, sometimes it's hard to find the motivation to get back on the horse and go again. 'I think the last two weeks have been good for me just as a reset, just to sort of figure out where I'm at in my own head, what I want to do, where I want to play. I thought it was a good time to reset some goals. I've had a pretty good first half of the season and I want to have a good second half of the season now, too.' McIlroy has headed to Canada the week before the US Open at Oakmont with a clear focus on competing in National Opens through the year. The field is Toronto is strong and, asked for his reasoning on that, he opined: 'I think a lot of the European guys like to play the week before a major, I think there's that part of it. Look we play so much in the States anyway and, you come here, it feels a little different, but you're not that far away. 'I think when the tournament has been a little closer to the city and we've been able to stay in Toronto, it feels a little more I won't say European, but you know cosmopolitan and maybe different from what we do week in week out. But I think for the most part it's become a very very good tournament and I think because of that and you see you guys playing each and every year I think the field then starts to become stronger because you know you see your peers do something and we're we're all like sort of sheep out here, like once one person does something we all sort of try to do the same thing 'So I just think this tournament has grown from strength to strength over these last few years and that's a lot to do with Golf Canada and RBC and everyone behind it and they should be really proud of what they've done.'
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Rory McIlroy details personal struggles as he makes major Masters revelation
Rory McIlroy won the Masters in April to complete the career Grand Slam, but the 36-year-old has struggled to replicate that form since winning at Augusta National Rory McIlroy completed his career Grand Slam with victory at the Masters in April. After a wait of over a decade, the Northern Irishman finally clinched the title that had continually eluded him. McIlroy was overjoyed as he celebrated at Augusta, his victory etching his name alongsidde Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan, and Gene Sarazen as the only golfers to have completed the career Grand Slam - defined as winning The Open, US Open, PGA Championship, and the Masters. Since his landmark victory, McIlroy, 36, has taken a step back from regular tournament play, opting to participate in only a handful of events over the past couple of months. While speaking with journalists at the RBC Canadian Open, which is part of his limited schedule, McIlroy confessed that his mindset has shifted since his Masters success - but it's not necessarily been for the better. Remarkably, McIlroy candidly opened up on the mental struggle he's now facing, revealing his uncertainty over what he's striving for next after achieving his Masters dream. "Yeah, I don't know if I'm chasing anything," he told reporters. "I would certainly say that the last few weeks I've had a couple weeks off, and going and grinding on the range for three or four hours every day is maybe a little tougher than it used to be." He added: "You have this event in your life that you've worked towards and it happens, sometimes it's hard to find the motivation to get back on the horse and go again." Since securing the Masters title, McIlroy has only teed off at the Truist Championship and the PGA Championship, notably skipping the Memorial Tournament. His recent performance at the PGA Championship was less than stellar, ending up T47. The golf star hinted that his selective approach to tournaments post-Masters is a result of achieving a career and emotional peak, leading him to contemplate his next moves. McIlroy has also been using this period for mental preparation, aiming for continued success. "I think the last two weeks have been good for me just as a reset, just to sort of figure out where I'm at in my own head, what I want to do, where I want to play," he added. "Yeah, reset some goals. "I thought it was a good time to reset some goals. I've had a pretty good first half of the season, and I want to have a good second half of the season now, too." Some, like McIlory's putting coach Brad Faxon, believing completing his career Grand Slam could be the perfect time for McIlroy to walk away from the sport. "Nobody would fault him if he said, 'I'm good, I don't have to do this anymore'," Faxon said, speaking to 'The Smylie Show' He added: "I am in that awkward and interesting position of having been part of Rory's team for so long now. To reach that goal, and to do it at the Masters. I always thought Rory would definitely win more majors before he won the Masters. "I didn't know he would win the Masters before he won another one of those majors."
Scottish Sun
2 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
‘It was supposed to stay confidential' – Rory McIlroy ‘p***ed off' after private information is leaked
RORY McILROY was 'p***ed off' that news of his driver failing technical standards was leaked at last month's USPGA Championship. Two days before the tournament, the club was pulled from his bag after official testing showed it crossed the 'trampoline effect' threshold — when the club face becomes more springy. 2 Rory McIlroy admitted he was frustrated that news of his driver failing a technical test was leaked Credit: Getty 2 Scottie Scheffler's driver also failed Credit: Getty Failures are supposed to be confidential with no blame attached to the player but the news broke on the Friday evening. World No 1 Scottie Scheffler's driver also failed but that never became public until he revealed it at his winner's press conference. Masters champ McIlroy, 36, left Quail Hollow without speaking a word in public. Ahead of teeing up in the Canadian Open, which starts today, the Northern Irishman said: 'I was a little p***ed off because I knew that Scottie's driver had failed but my name was the one that was leaked. It was supposed to stay confidential. 'I didn't want to get up there and say something that I regretted, either, because I'm trying to protect Scottie, I don't want to mention his name.' He went on to add: "I'm trying to protect TaylorMade. I'm trying to protect the USGA, PGA of America, myself. I just didn't want to get up there and say something that I regretted. "With Scottie's stuff, that's not my information to share. I knew that that had happened, but that's not on me to share that, and I felt that process is supposed to be kept confidential, and it wasn't for whatever reason. That's why I was pretty annoyed at that. "From a responsibility standpoint, look, I understand, but if we all wanted to, we could all bypass you guys and we could just go on this and we could go on social media and we could talk about our round and do it our own way. CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS "I think there should be an understanding that this is a two-way street, and as much as we need to speak to you guys, we're sort of, like we understand the benefit that comes from you being here and giving us the platform and everything else. So I understand that. "But again, I've been beating this drum for a long time. If they want to make it mandatory, that's fine, but in our rules it says that it's not, and until the day that that's maybe written into the regulations, you're going to have guys skip from time to time, and that's well within our rights." Jack Nicklaus stunned as Rory McIlroy ghosts Memorial Tournament host and golf legend ahead of PGA Tour Signature event Scheffler won the PGA Championship last month, marking his third major title. He finished at 11-under 273, five strokes clear of the field in Charlotte.
