From the moment he put himself in the top three after the opening round of the 2007 Open Championship as an amateur, it was quite clear that there was something different about Rory McIlroy.
Rory McIlroy looked to be destined for great things from an early age. And his performance at Carnoustie 18 years ago seemed to be confirmation that the Northern Irishman was a potential superstar.
McIlroy would turn professional in September 2007 and register two top 10 finishes on the DP World Tour to secure his card for the following year.
And it seemed that his first professional win was going to come at the 2008 Omega European Masters, with the teenager leading by four shots going into the final round at Crans-sur-Sierre in Switzerland.
Rory McIlroy defeated in his first playoff as a professional on the DP World Tour
McIlroy had begun his week with an eight under par round of 63 in Crans-Montana. Remarkably however, he would end up in his first playoff after proving to be the only player in the top 20 who failed to break par on Sunday.
That top 20 included the likes of Miguel Angel Jimenez, Francesco Molinari and Louis Oosthuizen. However, it was Jean-Francois Lucquin who ended up joining McIlroy at the top of the leaderboard.
Lucquin was something of a journeyman on the European circuit, having never finished higher than 81st on the Order of Merit before 2008. He had never previously won on the European Tour, while his only victory on the Challenge Tour came six years earlier.
Despite that, it was McIlroy who seemingly could not handle the pressure in the final stages of the tournament.
Jean-Francois Lucquin left baffled by Rory McIlroy after their playoff at the Omega European Masters
McIlroy initially had a five foot putt to win on the 72nd hole. However, he missed the chance. It meant that both men went into their first ever playoff on the European Tour.
They could not be separated on the first extra hole, but Lucquin got the job done the second time around. McIlroy missed from 18 inches to leave his opponent needing to get down in two from 12 feet.
Lucquin however, was able to find the bottom of the cup with his first putt to secure his first win in 175 starts on the European Tour. And afterwards, he admitted that he was somewhat baffled by McIlroy’s mistake on what proved to be the final hole.
“I have no words to explain what I am feeling. I don’t know what happened [to McIlroy] on the second,” he said, as reported by The Times.
“He asked if he could finish, I said that was okay and he missed it. That made it easier for me.”
Lucquin would finish the year just outside the top 50 on the Order of Merit, but would only play a full-time schedule on the European Tour for another couple of years. His most recent start came back in 2016.
McIlroy’s loss meanwhile was something of a sign of what was to come when it came to his playoff record in Europe. He has now lost five playoffs in DP World Tour events, including again at the 2019 Omega European Masters.
Receive exclusive golf news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
