Bob MacIntyre described his final round at the Scottish Open as "brutal" and admitted he was "going ballistic" as his hopes of defending his title evaporated. The Oban golfer finished tied-third after a rollercoaster Sunday at the Renaissance Club, but insisted the performance proved he can compete at Royal Birkdale next week.
Painful Seven-Hole Run Derails MacIntyre
MacIntyre started the final round as joint-leader after completing his third round strongly on Sunday morning. He birdied the first hole, but then carded four bogeys in a miserable seven-hole stretch that left him fuming and out of contention for the title, which was eventually won by Tom Kim.
"I'll be blatantly honest, brutal. Terrible start. Well, good start, birdie the first and then too many mistakes, far too many mistakes," MacIntyre said. "I was going ballistic after 10 holes, so to actually get it back under par was a good effort and then just disappointed with that putt on the last."
Resilience Shines Through
Despite the early struggles, MacIntyre showed resilience by battling back to sign for a 69 and secure a share of third place. He highlighted poor decision-making and execution on key holes as the main issues. "I hit a beautiful five-iron into two that went right through the wind, then I hit a poor eight iron, went down the slope and had a terrible putt and then just the wrong decision on the par five," he explained.
An eagle on the 12th hole provided a spark, swinging momentum back in his favour. "You need a spark to get you back in it and that was it. I actually thought I'd hit it stone dead on that par five. That putt was lovely and then I started playing golf the way I'd been playing golf," MacIntyre said. "But a fraction too late."
Positive Takeaways Ahead of The Open
MacIntyre, who finished second in the US Open last year, remains optimistic about his form. "It's a great week to go forward with. I just knew a top three would have guaranteed East Lake at the end of the year. I've got to look at the positives. It's a good week," he said.
Reflecting on his season, MacIntyre said: "I've tried to tweak things to get better and realised that sometimes tweaking things to try and get better isn't the answer. It's just fine-tuning the stuff that you're already using. This could potentially be my best approach play week of the year."
Home Support and Confidence
The Scottish crowd serenaded MacIntyre with a rendition of "Flower of Scotland" as he walked onto the 15th green. "Brilliant again. When I walked on that par three and Flower of Scotland was going, I got goosebumps. I wish I could play here every week," he said.
Looking ahead to Royal Birkdale, MacIntyre stated: "Yeah, I can. I will. No reason why not. No reason why I can't compete and, hopefully, come Sunday, next weekend, I can be in the exact same position, have a chance on the back nine and that's all we play for." When asked what he needed to take the next step, he replied: "Luck. Simple. Better luck."
