Paul Dunne earned his first European Tour win with a 61 on Sunday.

Rory McIlroy Can’t Catch Paul Dunne At British Masters

Posted By: Tom Edringtonon: October 02, 2017In: In Other News...No Comments

The kid from Southern Ireland was simply too tough for the kid from Northern Ireland Sunday at the British Masters.

Rory McIlroy’s final round 63 wasn’t good enough to catch Paul Dunne at the Close House Golf Club and the 24-year-old from the Republic of Ireland won for the first time on the European Tour.

Dunne looked nothing like a young player trying for his first victory. All he did was play a perfect round with seven birdies and an eagle that added up to a nine-under par 61 and a 20-under par winning total — three shots clear of McIlroy.

“It’s kind of a sense of relief to prove it to myself that I can get it done,” Dunne said afterward. “I think I’ve improved a lot mentally over the last year in these kind of situations.

“I feel like I’ve got a bit tougher mentally and I get excited to go out and look at the leaderboard, rather than trying to look at position.

“I went out and really tried to win the tournament rather than have someone hand it to me. That was the focus. Once I was in front, just keep pushing, make no bogeys and see how many birdies I can make. Absolutely thrilled.”

McIroy gave it his best shot but made two crucial mistakes over the final nine holes. He bogeyed the 11th hole with a wedge in his hand from the middle of the fairway. He blew the approach shot over the green and failed to get up and down for par. At the 15th he missed a six-footer for birdie that would have given him five straight. He would finish 17-under and in second by himself.

McIlroy will be in the field for this week’s Dunhill Links Championship.

British Masters Final Results:

Tom Edrington

Tom Edrington spent the first 10 years of his misguided youth as a sports writer for the Tampa Tribune. His career brought him face to face with many of sports greatest stars -- Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Muhammad Ali, Don Shula, countless Hall of Fame NFL stars, more PGA Tour players than he can count. In 1980 he was honored by the Golf Writers Association of America for writing the best news story that year, his coverage of Jack Nicklaus' U.S. Open victory at Baltusrol. Today, 36 years later, golf is still a great part of his life, thanks to competitive playing days and the wonderful people he has met on this fabulous journey.