Golf-McIlroy wins Irish Open after forcing playoff with stunning eagle on 18th

GOLF-IRELAND/:Golf-McIlroy wins Irish Open after forcing playoff with stunning eagle on 18th

Sept 7 (Reuters) - Rory McIlroy sank an incredible eagle putt from nearly 30 feet on the 72nd hole to force a playoff with Joakim Lagergren before beating the Swede on the third subsequent hole in a thrilling finish to win the Irish Open for a second time on Sunday.

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World number two and Masters champion McIlroy was staring down the barrel when Lagergren posted 17-under in the clubhouse, knowing only an eagle on the par-five 18th would keep his hopes alive and the Northern Irish golfer did not disappoint.

"Get in the hole," yelled the crowd as McIlroy played his shot and as they held their breath, the ball rolled in before they erupted as one with chants of "Rory! Rory!"

Both golfers birdied the first two holes in the playoff but there was more drama on the third where McIlroy missed the fairway with his drive while Lagergren's ball bounced cruelly off the green and splashed into the water.

Ultimately, Lagergren could only manage par as McIlroy finished with a birdie, sending the crowd into raptures as he won the Irish Open again for the first time since 2016.

"I played really good in the playoff as well. Hit a solid 5-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."

McIlroy's victory also provides perfect momentum ahead of the Ryder Cup where Team Europe will be defending their crown at Bethpage Black Course, Farmingdale, later this month.

Having completed the career Grand Slam in April, an elated McIlroy said: "2025's going to be one of the best, if not the best, of my career.

"But we're not finished yet, I've got a big week next week at (the BMW PGA Championship at) Wentworth and then obviously everybody's looking forward to the Ryder Cup." (Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru Editing by Toby Davis)