Rory McIlroy is the Irish Open Golf champion. The World No.3 produced a storming finish to pummel the opposition into submission and win the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open for the first time, at The K Club course in Kildare. It was also McIlroy’s first tournament win of the current season, setting him up nicely in advance of the U.S Open, which takes place in four weeks time, in Oakmont Country Club, Oakmont, just outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

While he entered the Irish Open as favourite, McIlroy did not have it all his own way. Going into the final round with a three shot lead, he had seen that whittled away by his playing partner Russell Knox, from Scotland. Indeed Knox racked up four birdies and an eagle in his final round and was in the lead with three holes to play.

McIlroy was not to be outdone, producing a sensational finish to kill off Knox’s challenge imperiously. He birdied the par-five 16th where Knox three-putted for a bogey – turning a one-shot deficit into a one stroke lead for the Irishman. McIlroy just missed out on a birdie at the 17th. and remained a shot to the good. However, his class came through on the final hole, where a magnificent approach shot from 252 yards landed within three feet of the hole. He tapped the putt in for an eagle that gave him a three- shot margin of victory.

There was some controversy afterwards that RTÉ, broadcasting the Irish Open, went for an ad break when McIlroy was taking his second shot at the 18th – which turned out to be the shot of the tournament. It was, it has to be said, an astonishing piece of bad timing on the part of the station...
Finishing in 69, McIlroy ended the tournament three shots clear of both Knox and Wales' Bradley Dredge on 12-under, to gobble up the first prize of €666,660. But not for himself: McIlroy plans to donate the winners pot to his own foundation, which hosted the tournament for the second year on the trot this year.

"To win in front of my home fans and to look up and see my friends and family there is something very special for me,” McIlroy said afterwards. "To finish like I did is something I'll never forget and I'm excited about the weeks ahead. Hopefully I can take this form into the summer."

McIlroy is one of Ireland’s biggest hopes of a medal in the Olympics this year – and on today’s form his position among the favourites is more than justified. There had been considerable controversy over whether or not McIlroy would play for Ireland or Great Britain. However, his commitment to golf on his home patch has been demonstrated in a number of different ways over the past few years – including his decision to host the Irish Open, a move which has added enormously to the credibility and prestige of the tournament.

Sponsored by Dubai Duty Free, the tournament is set to go from strength to strength, with a planned increase in the total prize fund from its current level of €4 million over the next two years. The chief executive of Dubai Duty Free, Colm McLoughlin is pushing for a prize fund of €7 million – which would make the Irish Open one of the most lucrative tournaments in the European golf schedule. With Rory McIlroy winning the 2016 model, that obective now seems more attainable than ever.