ST. ANDREWS, Scotland, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- Michael Hoey held off a charging Rory McIlroy Sunday, firing a 4-under 68 to win the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St. Andrews by two strokes.
McIlroy used a scintillating start Sunday to erase a 5-shot deficit and appeared ready to break his own historic Old Course record of 9-under 63.
But third-round leader Hoey battled him down the stretch and McIlroy faltered on the back nine.
Hoey drained a 6-foot, right-to-left birdie putt on the 18th hole to seal the win, finishing at 22-under 266 overall while capturing his third career victory and second of 2011.
A third Northern Ireland native, Graeme McDowell, missed several easy opportunities and had to settle for a 3-under 69, good for a third-place tie with George Murray (67) at 18-under 270.
Sharing fifth at minus-17 were Marc Warren (67), Tommy Fleetwood (68) and former British Open champ Louis Oosthuizen (69).
