Rory McIlroy to donate Irish Open winnings to charity

It was an emotional day for Rory McIlroy.

Not just because his Irish Open win marked the first time a home player has won the Irish Open since Shane Lowry's success in 2009, but also because of something much more important than the good walk spoiled.

The Holywood native hosted the tournament in the K Club along with his charity the Rory Foundation. McIlroy explained to Michael Gibbons that he had to fight away the tears towards the end of the day just thinking about how much good the competition did for the charity.

"It all just sort of hit me. I had a little bit of time on the green when Russell and Danny were finishing out, and I was trying to hold back the tears then. You know, golf-wise this week, it's obviously very important to me but the work that we've put into this tournament and the work that we've put into the foundation, and the people that we are going help from this week."

McIlroy also also revealed that he planned to donate his winnings of over €650,000 to his charity the Rory Foundation.

"I mean, we've already raised over half a million Euros going into today for the three chosen charities, and then all the winnings go towards that, as well, so we've broken the million Euro mark this week, which is absolutely incredible. I don't usually get emotional about golf or about wins, but this one, it means just a little bit more, because it's not just for myself. It's for a lot of other people. Yeah, it's a day I'll not forget for awhile."