McIlroy's eagle forces playoff, goes on to win Irish Open

STRAFFAN, Ireland (AP) — It turned out to be a perfect homecoming for Rory McIlroy.

The Northern Irishman made a 28-foot eagle putt on the final hole to force a playoff, then sealed his second Irish Open win with a birdie on the third hole of the playoffs against Sweden's Joakim Lagergren on Sunday.

“I just feel so lucky that I get to do this in front of these people, the support has been amazing all week," McIlroy said. "So happy I could play the way I did this week and get the win.”

McIlroy and Lagergren each shot 6-under 66s on Sunday. They birdied the first two playoff holes but Lagergren found the hazard with his approach shot on the third hole to open the door for McIlroy's win.

“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,” McIlroy said.

McIlroy won the Masters earlier this year to complete a career Grand Slam.

“I thought it was going to be a nice homecoming, obviously, coming with a green jacket,” he said. "This has been absolutely incredible, it has exceeded all my expectations ... Moments like this, these are the things you are going to remember after your career is over. This is a real special day.

Aaron Cockerill (74) of Stony Mountain, Man., tied for 46th at 1-under overall.

Spaniard Rafa Cabrera Bello made a hole-in-one on the par-3 third hole.

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf