Rasmus Hojgaard won the Amgen Irish Open by one stroke, while Rory McIlroy failed to triumph on home soil.
McIlroy led by one stroke on the final day at Royal County Down Golf Club and briefly stretched that lead to four, but Hoggard birdied four of the final five holes to take the title.
Hoggard shot a six-under 65 to set a club goal of nine under, while McIlroy's hopes of a first career win in Northern Ireland – just an hour's drive from where he grew up – were dashed after a bogey on the par-4 17th hole.
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After bogeying the 17th hole at the Irish Open, McIlroy needed an eagle on the final hole to force a playoff – and he almost did it.
McIlroy also squandered a two-shot lead in the final holes of the U.S. Open in June. He needed an eagle on the final hole to force a playoff with Hoegaard, but he missed from 10 feet and ended the tournament with a two-putt birdie in the final round for a 69.
Matthew Manassero was two shots back in third, with Daniel Brown leading the way while Robert MacIntyre and Grant Forrest tied for fifth.
How Hoigard beat McIlroy in Northern Ireland
McIlroy got off to a dream start in his final round, two-putting from 80 feet to take advantage on the par-5 before charging into putting range on the next to claim his second straight birdie.
Partner Manassero also birdied the first hole, but consecutive bogeys starting from the third hole temporarily gave McIlroy a four-stroke lead, but the Northern Irishman lost the ball from seven feet on the seventh hole and failed to save par.
McIlroy leads by two shots with four holes to play
McIlroy missed a 9-foot birdie chance on the next hole, and Manassero rolled in from 15 feet to get to within two shots, while Brown made three straight birdies in four holes starting with the ninth to fall one shot behind the overnight leader.
Hoigad, two groups ahead of McIlroy, was even par for the round until he birdied the ninth hole and added another on the par-3 next, but his hopes seemed bleak when he birdied the 12th only to bogey the next.
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Hoigard finished the final day of the Irish Open in style, finishing with birdies on the 16th, 17th and 18th holes
The world No. 88 then birdied the par-3 14th before hitting an approach shot on the par-4 16th and finally holed out from a bunker on the par-3 17th to take the lead for the first time.
McIlroy ended a string of pars with a 20-foot birdie at the 11th and recovered from a bogey at the 15th to birdie the next par-4, but he fell behind again when Hoegaard capped his stellar run with a two-putt birdie on the final hole.
A careless mistake led to McIlroy three-putting on the par-4 17th to fall two shots behind, and the Northern Irishman then lofted his approach from 191 yards to 10 feet on the par-5 final hole but missed eagle.
McIlroy 'disappointed' to miss out on home win
“I felt like I was in control for most of the day,” McIlroy said. “I felt like I played pretty consistent, did what I was supposed to do, made a lot of pars and the occasional birdie. And then obviously the two bogeys on 15 and 17 opened the door for some guys to have a chance to do well, like Rasmus did in the last few holes.
McIlroy narrowly misses out on first win as a pro in Northern Ireland
“Unfortunately, I didn’t play well this week and missed the green on 15, which is where you can’t go. And misjudged the speed of my first putt on 17. Overall, I’m obviously very disappointed not to win, but I’ll try to stay positive and keep going to Wentworth next week.”
“It was a massive confidence boost for me,” said Hoijgaard, whose fifth win on the DP World Tour. “I knew it was going to be tough against him and the other guys. Obviously, seeing him bogey the 17th hole changed everything.
“It was tight until the last putt. It's a big boost for me for the rest of the year.”
What's next?
The DP World Tour next heads to Wentworth for the BMW PGA Championship, where McIlroy will be in action and Ryan Fox is the defending champion. You can watch the Select Group live on Sky Sports Golf from 8:30am on Thursday, with full coverage starting at 1pm. Watch DP World Tour, PGA Tour and more with NOW.
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