ST ANDREWS, October 2, 2011 (AFP) - Michael Hoey held off fellow Northern Irishmen Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell to win the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship by two shots on Sunday.
Hoey, who began the week at 271 in the world rankings, carded a final round of 68 for a 22-under-par total of 266 to claim his second European Tour title of the season.
The 32-year-old from Ballymoney had also won the Madeira Open, having clinched his first tour title in 2009 at Estoril.
McIlroy, the US Open champion, finished with a 65, with McDowell, the 2010 US Open winner, sharing third alongside Scotland's George Murray a further two strokes back.
"It hasn't sunk in yet and it won't for a while," Hoey admitted.
"It's taken a long time but I supposed in a weird way you enjoy it more because you have struggled through six goes at the qualifying school.
"It's not nice running out of money, being away from home, questioning your swing, and there are points where you wonder 'Do I want to continue with this."
Hoey, 32, began the final round three ahead of McDowell and five clear of McIlroy, only for McIlroy to card four birdies and an eagle in a brilliant front nine of 30 to move into the lead.
McIlroy admitted he was disappointed not to have secured his third European Tour title, the 22-year-old playing the first 11 holes in seven-under-par but then failing to pick up another birdie.
Even the continued success of Northern Irish players failed to comfort McIlroy, who said: "Yeah it's great to see but to me, I don't care who wins now because I'm not.
"I've been very consistent, which is a good thing, but I want to get wins and that's the most important thing. It's good to be one, two, three and see all of us boys up there, I'm just obviously disappointed that it wasn't me lifting the trophy.
"I'm sure it will be a long flight to Korea in the morning thinking about it."
Leading and selected final round scores in the European Tour Alfred Dunhill Links Championship being played at the Old Course St. Andrews on Sunday (GBR and IRL unless stated, par 72):
266 - Michael Hoey 66-66-66-68
268 - Rory McIlroy 70-67-66-65
270 - George Murray 70-66-67-67, Graeme McDowell 67-67-67-69
271 - Marc Warren 67-67-70-67, Tommy Fleetwood 69-63-71-68, Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) 66-67-69-69
272 - Padraig Harrington 68-71-64-69
273 - Peter Hanson (SWE) 68-69-69-67, Charl Schwartzel (RSA) 69-69-66-69, Joost Luiten (NED) 72-68-65-68, Nicolas Colsaerts (BEL) 70-67-69-67, Jamie Donaldson 71-65-70-67, Luke Donald 69-71-63-70, Jaco Van Zyl (RSA) 67-67-69-70, Simon Dyson 69-71-63-70
274 - James Morrison 67-69-71-67
275 - Alex Haindl (RSA) 72-66-70-67, Steve Webster 68-68-71-68, Matt Haines 71-68-66-70
276 - Colin Montgomerie 68-72-66-70, Oliver Wilson 72-69-67-68, Markus Brier (AUT) 66-68-71-71, Rhys Davies 74-69-64-69, Lorenzo Gagli (ITA) 68-71-71-66, Mark Foster 74-66-67-69
277 - Danny Willett 73-65-67-72, Victor Dubuisson (FRA) 71-72-65-69, Fredrik Andersson Hed (SWE) 68-68-72-69
Selected:
278 - Thomas Aiken (RSA) 73-68-68-69, Martin Kaymer (GER) 68-67-75-68, Lee Westwood 68-69-68-73
279 - John Daly (USA) 71-67-69-72, Andrew Dodt (AUS) 70-70-70-69
280 - Paul Lawrie 71-68-69-72
281 - Brett Rumford (AUS) 73-65-71-72, Ernie Els (RSA) 72-69-70-70, Matthew Griffin (AUS) 72-70-68-71
282 - Bronson La Cassie (AUS) 72-71-68-71, Marcus Fraser (AUS) 77-66-68-71
284 - Sandy Lyle 69-70-72-73
287 - Tom Lewis 68-69-72-78