Royal County Down win my ‘most special moment': Irish Open champion confirms he will defend title
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 Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Lee Westwood jumps 3,759 spots in golf rankings as Jon Rahm admits he won't make sacrifice
With the majors now completed and both the PGA Tour and LIV Golf seasons winding down, attention continues to slowly turn towards the Ryder Cup in the golf world The professional golf season is nearing its conclusion after Scottie Scheffler claimed the final major of the year at The Open. But there's still more action on the PGA Tour and LIV Golf this week. Scheffler and most of his closest rivals have opted to skip the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities, but LIV UK will feature all of their big hitters like Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm - who you won't be seeing competing on YouTube anytime soon. And of course, one eye is now on the Ryder Cup, which is just two months away. Here, Mirror Sport rounds up the latest golf headlines from around the world. Lee Westwood's rankings rant It was a good week for Lee Westwood at Royal Portrush. The English veteran finished T34 on three under, which shot him up a remarkable 3,579 places in the Official World Golf Ranking to No. 930. LIV stars like himself still don't earn ranking points outside of the majors, Asian Tour and DP World Tour, with the league's latest application currently under review. Rather than celebrate his climb, Westwood, who had to go through a qualifier to make The Open, took the chance to express his frustrations. "I think that just proves that without world ranking points, it makes a bit of a mockery of the system," he said. "I think mainly it relates back to wanting the best players in the major championships, not wanting this conversation where there's a few people missing out because we don't get world ranking points on LIV." Jon Rahm's take on YouTube golf DeChambeau has done a great job of raising his profile on YouTube, where he now boasts over two million subscribers. But while Rahm is happy to appear in those sort of videos, he won't be starting a channel of his own for fear of it taking away from the other priorities in his life. 'The main argument, and I can't stress this enough, against doing it is that I just don't think I would have the time to balance family, golf and YouTube," the Spaniard explained. "I have three young kids - at some point I just don't think I would have the time to do it. 'It would be too much of a sacrifice of either me practicing or family time. As of right now, that's not something I'm willing to do. As of right now I'm perfectly happy appearing on channels. "I'm perfectly happy playing with those guys and in a way getting exposed to their audience…. but I don't know if I would yet find the energy in me to try to find the time to do a channel myself.' Bryson DeChambeau forces intervention For now, both Rahm and DeChambeau will be focusing on LIV's latest stop at the JCB Golf & Country Club, whose sponsors have taken drastic action to stop the latter from wreaking too much havoc with his ridiculous drives. With the American often topping 400 yards, JCB cranes holding up temporary netting have been placed at the end of the driving range to prevent any potential problems. While it's more so a promotional stunt, it did give golf fans a chuckle. It was also confirmed LIV will be hosted by JCB in the UK again next year. Ian Poulter's Ryder Cup warning DeChambeau has already kicked off the Ryder Cup mind games, warning Team Europe they'll be facing a "tsunami" of American support at Bethpage Black and promising to "get in Rory McIlroy's ear" if they're pitted against one another. And Ian Poulter is conscious that the home advantage could be a major factor, with the five-time Ryder Cup winner issuing a warning for captain Luke Donald. He told Sky Sports: "Away Ryder Cups are notoriously difficult. "It's the same when they come to our home soil too. Home advantage is a big factor. Luke has got a venue in Bethpage Black that is going to be very loud, very raucous. We've had numerous events at that location in the past, so they certainly know what they are going to be in for." Sergio Garcia's captaincy admission As for the 2031 Ryder Cup, Spain will host for the second time in history, it was confirmed this week. That will be particularly poignant for Team Europe legend Sergio Garcia. While his current focus is on making Donald's team for this year, the LIV star admitted that taking the captaincy reins off of him in the future would be something he'd relish. Speaking just 48 hours before the Ryder Cup's return to his homeland was confirmed, Garcia said: "I don't want to think about it yet, but it's something that obviously would be a nice thing, a nice honour to have. I really don't want to think about that right now. I've got my mind on other things."
Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Scottie Scheffler agrees with Phil Mickelson suspicions and rubs salt in LIV star's wounds
Scottie Scheffler has proven his critics wrong after recovering from a disappointing start to 2025 to win two majors, with the American now addressing LIV star Phil Mickelson's poorly-aged comments Scottie Scheffler has addressed Phil Mickelson 's controversial and rather foolish prediction that the world No. 1 wouldn't win anything before the Ryder Cup. The recently-crowned Open Championship winner confirmed suspicions that Mickelson meant to tweet that the world No. 1 golfer will not win anything at all, while taking a jab at the LIV Golf star. At the beginning of the year, Scheffler, 29, struggled to find his rhythm, going winless in his opening five tournaments of 2025. Beyond his poor form on the course, the New Jersey star was also recovering from a bizarre kitchen mishap involving ravioli preparation, where a wine glass he was using as a makeshift rolling pin shattered and cut deep into his hand, requiring surgery. During that difficult period, golf veteran Mickelson made a bold prediction on social media, saying Scheffler wouldn't claim a single PGA Tour victory before the Ryder Cup begins in New York this September. Since then, Scheffler has convincingly proven the veteran wrong, securing the CJ Cup Byron Nelson by eight strokes, winning the Memorial Tournament, the PGA Championship and, most recently, The Open Championship. Prior to Scheffler's incredible recent run of success, Mickelson posted on X: "Here's a hot take: Does Scottie win in 2025 before the Ryder Cup? I don't think so.' During his appearance on the Pardon My Take podcast, Scheffler was asked whether he saw Mickelson's post, to which he replied: "I did see the Phil Mickelson tweet. It was a great tweet.' When quizzed further about whether he believed Mickelson meant to say he wouldn't win anything at all, but held back to avoid undermining the USA's Ryder Cup prospects, the world No. 1 said: "I would agree with that. "I think that's what he was trying to say. But you can't say that America is going to lose the Ryder Cup when you are an American. So he kind of threw in that little cookie there at the end. Phil is not dumb. Phil is very smart.' When the host noted that Mickelson's tweet was "dumb' because of the number of titles he has won, Scheffler, sporting a wry smile on his face, rubbed salt in the six-time major winner's wounds by saying: "It didn't age very well." Mickelson, a winner of three Masters titles, two PGA Championships and the US Open, has conceded he was mistaken about Scheffler. Following a jibe from NBC analyst Kevin Kisner, Mickelson responded on X: "I've never been afraid to make mistakes on the course or off, knowing I'll have to deal with scrutiny from the public, media, or social media. "I've already acknowledged I was wrong on this. This is a good example of why so many people are afraid to put themselves out there and compete or take risks, because they know it'll be thrown back in their face and they can't handle it. "Fortunately that's not ever been my problem. But others struggle dealing with the heat and scrutiny that professional sports and being in the public eye brings, and drives many away from the game." Scheffler is expected to be a key player for Team USA in their Ryder Cup campaign. He was a captain's pick in the 2021 event, which the USA dominated 19-9, and also participated in the 2023 tournament, albeit on the losing team in Rome.
Daily Mirror
6 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
PGA Tour rebel who ignored Rory McIlroy suffers big blow as LIV Golf stop paying fines
Rising golf star Tom McKibbin potentially faces some big bills after LIV Golf decided to stop covering the fines of players who wish to remain members of the DP World Tour Tom McKibbin's future Ryder Cup ambitions have been thrown into jeopardy after LIV Golf opted to cease covering his fines. The Northern Irish golfer sent shockwaves through the sport when he jumped ship to the Saudi-funded breakaway circuit earlier this year. In doing so, he gave up his newly acquired PGA Tour card and went against advice from Rory McIlroy, who warned that joining LIV was "not worth the sacrifice". McKibbin maintained his DP World Tour membership, keeping his European Ryder Cup eligibility intact. In line with the European tour's rules, his LIV participation has triggered penalties, which his Saudi backers had been settling. However, this arrangement is set to end in 2026, with LIV no longer covering fines for players who remain affiliated with the DP World Tour, reports The Telegraph. This represents another setback for McKibbin, who missed the cut at the recent Open Championship at Portrush. The report reveals that LIV has so far settled approximately £15million in player penalties, with potentially another £10million still outstanding. From next year onwards, golfers will need to cover their own fines if they want to maintain their DP World Tour status. Failure to meet these payments would result in expulsion from the tour and Ryder Cup ineligibility, potentially weakening future European squads. Following September's contest at Bethpage Black in New York, the 2027 edition will take place at Adare Manor in County Limerick. LIV golfers Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton are challenging the financial penalties imposed on them for playing in the rebel series without permission. The appeal is set to take place following the forthcoming Ryder Cup. The outcome is anticipated to favour the DP World Tour, echoing a past ruling where Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood lost a similar challenge two years prior. An arbitration panel upheld the DP World Tour's authority to enforce its rules. Three years after LIV's contentious inception, many in the golfing world expected a resolution by now. In 2023, the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) declared a "framework agreement" with a view to co-existing. However, two years later, efforts to reconcile the sport remain at a standstill. This deadlock could leave rising star McKibbin, who sits at 56th in the DP Tour rankings, facing a tough choice: continue with LIV in hopes of an accord or settle his DP World Tour fines from his own funds. McKibbin sought guidance from McIlroy on whether to make the profitable move to LIV. McIlroy added: "There is so much money in the game and some would argue too much money in the game for the eyeballs that we attract. For whatever the benefit may be, I don't think it's worth the sacrifice to what he's potentially going to give up." However, that advice fell on deaf ears as McKibbin opted to join LIV, where he has already won around £3.5m after receiving an initial £4m for signing up.
