Rory McIlroy makes heartwarming claim after winning Irish Open

Rory McIlroy was full of emotion as he celebrated his second victory at the Amgen Irish Open, and he insisted that his week at The K Club "exceeded all of my expectations".

McIlroy was the star attraction from the moment he arrived at the scene of his previous Irish Open win nine years ago, and he revelled in showing off the green jacket he won at The Masters, in particular.

Despite having a busy week of commitments off the course, McIlroy managed to keep his game sharp enough to contend for the title, and the galleries were at least 10 deep in places during his final round.

The noise reached a crescendo around the 18th green when the fan favourite holed a stunning 30-foot putt for the eagle he needed to force a playoff against Joakim Lagergren, who had set the clubhouse target at 17-under-par.

McIlroy traded birdies with the Swede twice before Lagergren came to grief on the third extra hole, tugging his second shot into the water hazard to the delight of the majority of the crowd behind the green.

And, after McIlroy safely two-putted from long distance for another birdie, Lagergren's chip to extend the contest missed the target and the world No 2 was crowned champion for the second time.

"I feel just so lucky that I get to do this, I get to do this in front of these people," said McIlroy as he surveyed the scene following his win. "The support has been absolutely amazing all week.

"I thought it was going to be a nice homecoming, obviously coming home with a green jacket and all that, but this has been absolutely incredible. This has exceeded all of my expectations, and I'm just so, so happy I could play the way I did this week for all of them and get the win.

"I love coming home, and I love playing in this atmosphere. Moments like these are the things you're going to remember well after your career is over. This is a really special day.

"I feel very fortunate because there's probably very few golfers in the world that get the support that I get when I go home. Maybe Jon Rahm in Spain. There's maybe a few others, but this is absolutely incredible. I don't take it for granted."

McIlroy struggled to recall a moment like he had on the 18th green in regulation, and he described it as "redemption" as he remembered being in a similar situation at Royal County Down last year.

"I had a putt on the last green last year at RCD to force a playoff with Rasmus (Hojgaard), and it just missed on the high side," he added. "So it felt like it was a little bit of redemption.

"I hit it, and I wanted to be aggressive with it. It was such a cool moment, such a cool feeling for that to go in. That gave me a chance in the playoff.

"Then the playoff, the way the 18th was playing today, it just felt like it was a case of who was going to blink first. Joakim hit a poor second shot into the third hole and that opened the door for me. Just so happy to win my second Irish Open.

"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. So 2025 is going to go down as one of the best, if not the best of my career.

"We're not finished yet. I've got a big week next week at Wentworth and then obviously everyone's looking forward to the Ryder Cup. I'm just so happy my game's in good shape. I feel like I'm playing well, and I'm excited for what's coming up."