Rory McIlroy defeated Joakim Lagegren on the third playoff hole to win the 2025 Amgen Irish Open on the DP World Tour.
Adrien Saddier had a one-shot lead over Angel Hidalgo after three rounds. McIlroy was in a tie for fourth at 11-under, four shots behind the leader.
When Saddier made the turn on Sunday, his lead was gone and three other players were tied atop the leaderboard at 14-under. Rafa Cabrera Bello made a hole-in-one on the third hole and made two more birdies in his opening nine holes to tie the lead. McIlroy and Lagergren both shot 3-under on the front nine to tie the leaders.
McIlroy took the lead on the 13th hole after his birdie putt spun around the hole and fell in, giving him a one-shot lead. Cabrera Bello joined McIlroy at 15-under after making a birdie on the 16th hole.
Lagergren took the lead after making an eagle on the par-5 16th hole. He hit his approach shot from 266 yards to just under five feet and sank the eagle putt. He also birdied the last hole to give himself a two-shot lead heading into the clubhouse.
McIlroy needed an eagle on the last hole to force a playoff. He knocked his approach shot to just over 27 feet, leaving himself a look for an eagle and a spot in a playoff. As his putt rolled towards the hole, the fans were screaming for it to go in; when the putt fell in, the crowd erupted and McIlroy gave some fist pumps to his hometown fans.
McIlroy and Lagergren went back to the 18th tee for the first playoff hole. Both players found the green with their second shots and had eagle putts from similar distances. They each missed their putts and tapped in for birdie.
Playing the 18th hole again, both players hit the fairway and found the green. McIlroy had 53 feet for eagle while Lagergren had just under 30 feet for his eagle look. They each two-putted for birdie and headed back to the 18th tee for a third time.
Lagergren found the fairway on the tee shot while McIlroy found the right rough. Lagergren found the water long and left of the green with his approach shot. McIlroy hit the green and two-putted for birdie, forcing Lagergren to chip in after his dropped shot for a shot at the win. His chip shot ran past the hole, clinching McIlroy’s win.
For McIlroy, this is his 20th DP World Tour win and his second time winning the Irish Open. He also won this event in 2016 when it was played at the K Club. This is his third win this year that came out of a playoff (The Players Championship and The Masters).
Next week the DP World Tour heads to England for the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Club. Last year’s champion Billy Horschel will be playing for the first time since April when he had to have hip surgery. 11 of the 12 players on the European Ryder Cup team will be in the field, and their captain Luke Donald will also be playing.
