Rasmus Hojgaard birdies final 3 holes to win Irish Open - ESPN

NEWCASTLE, Northern Ireland — Rasmus Hojgaard birdied his last three holes Sunday for a 6-under 65 to win the Irish Open and hand Rory McIlroy another dose of disappointment before a raucous gallery at Royal County Down.

McIlroy had a two-shot lead on the back nine until Hojgaard put together a stunning charge down the stretch to win for the fifth time on the European tour and deny McIlroy a victory in his home country.

«Unfortunately, I'm getting used to it this year,» McIlroy said. «Hopefully, the tide is going to turn pretty soon and I can turn all these close calls into victories.»

McIlroy had a pair of bogeys on the closing four holes that allowed Hojgaard, playing two groups in front of him, to charge to victory in stunning fashion.

The 23-year-old Dane got up-and-down from a bunker for birdie on the short par-4 16th, holed a bunker shot for birdie on the 17th to take the lead and blasted out of the rough onto the front edge of the green for a two-putt birdie on the par-5 18th.

Hojgaard, who started the final round three shots behind McIlroy, finished at 9-under 275.

«I had a number today that I was trying to reach, and that was 8 [under]. Obviously, coming in and finishing on 9 was gold,» he said.

It was another tough ending for McIlroy, who has three wins this year but lost the U.S. Open when he missed a pair of short par putts on the last three holes at Pinehurst No. 2 and had a late charge at the Olympics derailed by a wedge that went into the water.

This was a more subtle fade. His approach to the 15th just rolled off the right side of the green into a tough lie, leading to bogey that dropped him into a tie for the lead when Hojgaard birdied the 16th ahead of him.

McIlroy regained a share of the lead with a