Joakim Lagergren came within a whisker of claiming his first DP World Tour title since 2018 this weekend, only to have the Irish Open cruelly snatched away from him by Rory McIlory.
The Masters winner beat Lagergren on the third play-off hole after three straight birdies, with the 33-year-old Swede’s hopes ending in a water hazard.
It was McIlroy’s 20th win on the DP World Tour and his fourth victory of the season. But it was a crushing blow for Lagergren after he set an impressive target of -17 going into the clubhouse after the final round.
“This is a tough one to swallow,” said Lagergren after the tournament.
“I really thought I had that out there today. Obviously posting minus 17 going into the clubhouse, could might as well been enough.
“I played really good in the playoff as well. Hit a solid 5-iron down on the last play, but it got a horrendous bounce.
“It’s a metre from being dead to the hole. So it’s tough.”
But the Swede was positive about the progress he has made recently.
“It feels like I’m definitely back and playing at a level where I want to play.
“A top 10 last week and then losing in play-off this week. So yeah, it feels like it’s trending.”
It’s not all doom and gloom for Lagergren. He pocketed $660,000 for finishing runner-up at the K Club on Sunday and leapt up to 18th from 32nd in the DP World Tour rankings, earning crucial points in the Race to Dubai. A PGA Tour card next season is also mouth-wateringly close.
He also clambered up from 194th to a career-high 121st in the Official World Golf Rankings.
But he wasn’t the only Swede to see their rankings given a shot in the arm after an impressive weekend of action.
Hugo Townsend 638 > 300
The Dublin-born Swede, and son of former Ryder Cup player Peter Townsend, was one of the biggest ranking climbers of the weekend after winning his first HotePlanner Tour title at the GAC Rosa Challenge.
He also jumped into the top 20 on the Road to Mallorca rankings and saw his World Gold Rankings rocket from 638th to 300th.
Townsend planned on celebrating his first win by ‘probably drinking a million beers.’
Niklas Lemke 393 > 355
Lemke finished an impressive T20 at the Irish Open and moved himself up to 355th from 393th in the World Golf Rankings. His highest spot since 2021.
The 41-year-old Swede has been steadily climbing the rankings this season after bucking the trend of seven consecutive missed cuts to finish T14 at the Danish Golf Championship in mid August.
Mikel Lindberg 421 > 396
Tied for 37th at the Irish Open, saw Lindberg, who has been making steady progress in the last month, rise from 421 to 396.
Finishing tied fourth at the Danish Open in August pushed him out of the 600s, and two top 30 results after that has helped his cause.
Tobias Jonsson 515 > 430
A third-place finish behind compatriot Townsend at the GAC Rosa Challenge saw Jonsson leap to 430th – his highest ranking to date.
In June, Jonsson went close at Raiffeisenbank Golf Challenge finishing tied second and tied third at the Swiss Challenge. He has been making bold strides since starting the year in 1472nd place.
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Article Link: Joakim Lagergren receives another added bonus on top $660k payday