McIlroy wins Irish Open for 1st time with courageous finish

Rory McIlroy landed a miraculous 253-yard second shot to within a few feet of the 72nd hole to put the finishing touches on his first win of the season, a triumph at the Irish Open on Sunday at The K Club.

The tap-in eagle reestablished the 54-hole lead McIlroy briefly squandered in the round, as he won by three strokes over Bradley Dredge and Russell Knox with a 12-under tournament total.

With absurdly precise approaches, the tournament host collected all three strokes needed to stave off Knox and win the event for the first time over the final three holes - a run that began with a birdie on 16.

The culminating win was McIlroy's first since claiming the DP World Tour Championship in November.