Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre realized a dream on Sunday, holing a 22-foot birdie putt at the last to win the Genesis Scottish Open by one stroke over Australian Adam Scott.
“In my head I just kept saying to myself, this is what you do, Bob,” MacIntyre said of his winning putt to claim his national championship in the tournament co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour and DP World Tour. “I’ve done it.”
MacIntrye played the final five holes in four under to shoot 3-under 67 at The Renaissance Club in North Berwick and become the first Scot since Colin Montgomerie to win on home soil in 25 years and just the second to do so in the 42 times it has been played since first being contested on the DP World Tour in 1972.
“A lot of people might say, he doesn’t quite have this, he doesn’t quite have that, but I’ve got fight and that’s all I need,” MacIntyre said.
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The 27-year-old lefthander and pride of Oban, MacIntyre made just one birdie and two bogeys in his first 13 holes to trail by three shots with five holes to go. He benefited from a rare off day from Swedish sensation Ludvig Aberg, who led by two heading into the day but shot 3 over on the round after hitting only five fairways to place T-4. Scott looked out of the trophy hunt too after he made double bogey at No. 8. But he holed a bunker shot for birdie at the ninth and added three birdies against a single bogey on the closing nine for 67. He was searching for his first victory in more than four years.
“A shame to come up short but Bob did what he had to do to win. Eagle, par, birdie, that’s great stuff,” Scott said.
Momentum shifted to MacIntyre when he sank a 41-foot birdie putt at 14 and he benefited from a rules official granting free relief at the par-5 16th when it was determined that he was standing on a sprinkler head in deep rough.
“I’m shouting and I’m swearing when I’m getting up to the ball because I know that that’s my chance to really make birdie coming in. I got over the ball, looked at it, thinking, I’m in a bit of trouble here. Might manage to move it maybe a hundred yards,” he explained. “Look, I got a bit of luck on 16 and you need a bit of luck to win golf tournaments. I couldn’t believe when I heard a spring under my foot where my spike is at and I’m like no way. It was covered, and I thought, I got lucky; it was meant to be.”
Thanks to a drop in shorter grass, he nailed a 6-iron from 248 yards to 6 feet for eagle to tie Scott for the lead.
In the tournament within a tournament, Richard Mansell shot a course-record-tying 61 to finish T-10 and earn one of three places into next week’s British Open along with Alex Noren and Aaron Rai as the top finishers not already exempt into the final men’s major of the year. Rory McIlroy, in his first start since finishing second at the U.S. Open last month, opened with 65 and shot a stroke higher each day to finish T-4 in his title defense.
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Last year, MacIntyre had his heart ripped out after McIlroy birdied the final two holes to steal the trophy. This year, the tables turned.
“I thought it was short,” MacIntyre said of the winning putt.
The double-breaker just dripped in the front door, for a winning total of 18-under 262, and MacIntyre pumped both fists in the air and screamed so loud he claimed he had lost his voice.
MacIntyre won his first PGA Tour title, the RBC Canadian Open, last month. With the win in his native country, MacIntyre became only the second Scot to win twice in one PGA Tour season, joining Sandy Lyle in 1988.
“I wanted the Scottish Open and I got it,” he said.
