Rory McIlroy Chokes Back Tears Amid Overwhelming ‘Support’ After 20th DP World Tour Win

Rory McIlroy’s homecoming turned into history at The K Club, where he fought through a tense playoff to claim his 20th DP World Tour win and a second Amgen Irish Open title. The Northern Irishman, now only the second Irish professional (after Harry Bradshaw) to lift the trophy twice, was overwhelmed by the deafening support of the home crowd and struggled to hold back tears as chants of “Rory” echoed across the course.

In the post-win interview, McIlroy was asked, “Rory, nine years ago you won your first Irish Open here at The K Club. Now you’ve won your second. Just try to describe your emotions if you can right now.” His last win came with a three-stroke difference against Bradley Dredge and Russell Knox in 2016. Now, 9 years later, after bringing the green jacket home, he has done it again in front of the home crowd. Sharing in his great emotional rush, he said, “Look, I feel just so lucky that I get to do this, I get to do this in front of these people. The support has been absolutely amazing all week.” Before he could end his sentence with a trembling voice and teary eyes, the fans started chanting his name. The brief moment of praise from the fans gave the golfer some time to soak in the emotions as he smiled, looking towards the crowd.

Further, he continued, “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. Just so, so happy I could play the way I did this week for all of them and get the win.” Again, the chants of “RORY” rhythmically started. This was his fourth win of the season, and he was thrilled to bring the green jacket home. In fact, during the initial rounds, he was seen interacting with the fans, wearing a green jacket, and all the major trophies behind him.

When asked if the support is similar to what he got at the Masters, he bluntly said no. The Masters winner said, “I didn’t. Hopefully, we get a bit of it in a few weeks’ time at the Ryder Cup. But this is absolutely incredible. I love coming home. I love playing in this atmosphere. Yeah, these are — moments like this, these are the things you’re going to remember well after your career is over. This is a really special day.” The golfer started the season with a win at the AT&T Pebble Beach and then continued his streak with the PLAYERS Championship and the Masters Tournament. But after that, his performance struggled to add more.

Even with his playoff performance, his performance dropped as he finished T7 at the St. Jude Championship, then T12 at the BMW Championship, and T23 at the Tour Championship. But now, his performance 2 weeks before the Ryder Cup has brought in support as well as confidence. After his first round struggle with one under 71, the Northern Irishman fought back with his rounds of 66,68, and 66. After 72 holes, he, along with the Swede Lagergren, was tied with -17. The duo went on to compete in a playoff, where they faced cutthroat competition. Both of them birdied the first two playoff holes. But the World No. 2, with his third hole carded an eagle to clinch the second Amgen Irish Open title. Being the most rooted player by the home crowd, his win turned the course into an electrifying wave among the crowd.

The golfer, who won his first event on the DP World Tour in 2009, has now touched the 20th mark. For the first win, he claimed the title against Justin Rose with a stroke lead. It would have definitely been an exceptional feeling, and the same has happened with his 20th win on the tour. He would want to continue the great rhythm, and for that, he has already shared about his next appearance with the team on the DP World Tour.

Rory McIlroy’s next stop before the Ryder Cup

After getting the form back, the golfer is set to continue the same rhythm for his next stop at the Wentworth Club, Virginia Water, Surrey, England. The Northern Irishman will be teeing off at the BMW PGA Championship, along with the European Ryder Cup team. Having delivered some great performances in the past at the BMW PGA Championship, the golfer, after winning the event for the first time in 2014, has come close but failed to clinch the title. He was runner-up in 2018, 2022, and 2024. However, this edition will be special for him.

At first, it will be his teammates with whom he will be playing. The players’ roster includes Ludvig Aberg, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood, Rasmus Hojgaard, Viktor Hovland, Tyrrell Hatton, Jon Rahm, Robert MacIntyre, and Shane Lowry.

After that, he has the opportunity to change his close finishes of the past into victory, just before he heads to the Ryder Cup. At the BMW PGA Championship, too, he has matched the feat of Harry Bradshaw, being the only two Northern Irishmen to win the event. And his second win could create history. But will he be able to clinch that? What are your thoughts on it? Share with us in the comments below.