Rory McIlroy drains massive eagle putt and wins thrilling playoff to clinch Irish Open

The Swede emerged from a five-way tie for the lead on Sunday's back nine at The K Club with a superb round of 66 and looked to have struck the decisive blow with a magnificent 266-yard approach to five feet to set up an eagle at the 16th.

McIlroy, though, responded with a 28-foot putt to eagle the last and extend the tournament to a 73rd hole, where both players went close to eagles before tidying up for matching birdies.

McIlroy's approach next time around only just cleared the water but it was the same result. At the third time of asking Lagergren found the water hazard, allowing McIlroy to win it with two putts and emulate his 2016 victory at the same venue.

"I just feel so lucky that I get to do this in front of these people, the support has been amazing all week. So happy I could play the way I did this week and get the win," he told the media on Sunday.

The win was another highlight in McIlroy's season after his Masters triumph in April which completed a career Grand Slam.

"To do what I did earlier in the year and then to come home and win my national Open, no matter what happens for the rest of the year, that's a pretty cool year - 2025's going to be one of the best, if not the best, of my career,"he continued.

"But we're not finished yet, I've got a big week next week at Wentworth and then obviously everybody's looking forward to the Ryder Cup."

Spanish players filled the remainder of the top five, with a hole in one helping Rafa Cabrera Bello join Saturday's star Angel Hidalgo in third while Angel Ayora was fifth on his own.

Hidalgo, second overnight, spun his second shot to around a foot for a birdie at the first and Cabrera Bello's challenge started in the grandest of style at the third as his tee-shot pitched six inches from the hole and hopped straight in for an ace.

He was inches from another eagle at the next, settling for two putts and a birdie from 16 feet to take him one behind Hidalgo, who bogeyed the second.

McIlroy bogeyed the first, his first dropped shot in 38 holes, but bounced back with a 38-foot putt for birdie at the second and saved par with a good up-and-down at the next.

Another dropped shot for Hidalgo left Adrien Saddier two clear as Lagergren - who, like McIlroy, started the day 11 under - birdied the fourth to join the two Spaniards in second.

Next alongside them was McIlroy, who birdied the fourth and then holed from 43 feet at the fifth to move two under for the day and 13 under for the week.

Cabrera Bello nudged back ahead of him, and one behind Saddier, with a birdie at the eighth - as did Lagergren soon afterwards.

Hidalgo was producing a typically entertaining round even as Saturday's 12-birdie form eluded him, with his flop at the eighth dropping on the top of the flag to leave a two-foot par putt before he unleashed his eye-catching recoil swing off the next tee and was rewarded with a birdie. With McIlroy having also birdied the ninth, that meant a five-way tie on 14 under as the final group turned for home.

McIlroy holed a steely par-saver at the 12th and to the delight of the home crowd, the Masters Champion was eventually the first to break from the back - but not before his six-foot putt at the 13th made a full circuit of the hole to drop back in the front edge.

Cabrera Bello joined him at the top with a birdie at the par-five 16th as Hidalgo dropped a shot at the 14th and Ayora set a clubhouse target of 13 under after a 67.

Lagergren eagled the 16th in breathtaking style to go 16 under as Cabrera Bello's 67 lowered the clubhouse lead to 15 under and Hidalgo, with a birdie at the 16th, and McIlroy, who parred the 17th, were also on that mark.

Lagergren's birdie at the last left McIlroy needing an eagle to force a play-off - and after two blows onto the green, he delivered exactly what was required.

"I had a putt last year at (Royal County Down) to force a play-off with Rasmus (Højgaard) and it just missed on the high side, so it felt like it was a little bit of redemption.

"I wanted to be aggressive with it - such a cool feeling, cool moment for that to go in, and that gave me a chance in the play-off.

"It just felt like it was who was going to blink first. Joakim hit a poor second shot in on that play-off hole and that opened the door for me, and I'm just so happy to win my second Irish Open."

Lagergren said: "This is a tough one to swallow. I really thought I had that out there today.

"Obviously posting minus-17 going into the clubhouse, could well have been enough. Played really good in the playoff as well. Hit a solid five-iron down on the last play but it got a horrendous bounce. It's a metre from being dead to the hole, so it's tough."