MacIntyre makes his mark on Royal Portrush
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Former European Challenge Tour player Robert MacIntyre continued to showcase his potential on the world stage with a sixth place finish at Royal Portrush in The Open Championship last week.
It was the latest impressive performance for the Scot, who has enjoyed a dream start to his rookie season on the European Tour since graduating onto the circuit from the Challenge Tour at the end of 2018.
MacIntyre looked right at home among the world’s best players, despite competing in his first Major Championship, carding a three under par round of 68 in appalling conditions on the final day to secure a top ten finish in Northern Ireland.
The Oban native capped off his tournament by rolling home a 25-foot birdie putt for a five under par 279 total, with it guaranteeing his place in the field for the 2020 Open Championship at Royal St George’s.
The performance marks the best result for a Scot at The Open Championship since Colin Montgomerie finished in second place at St Andrews in 2005.
In addition to cementing his place in the top 20 in the Race to Dubai Rankings Presented by Rolex, his standout play at Royal Portrush ensures MacIntyre continues his meteoric rise up the Official World Golf Ranking, with the left-hander now 102nd and close to breaking into the top 100.
MacIntyre, who only switched to golf from his childhood game of Shinty at the age of 17, is still in search of his first victory but his impressive rookie season shows he is a force to be reckoned with.
He recorded back-to-back second place finishes at the Betfred British Masters and Made in Denmark presented by FREJA alongside a handful of other top 20 results.
It comes less than a year after MacIntyre held his nerve to clinch one of the 15 European Tour cards up for grabs on the Challenge Tour in 2018, cementing his spot at the season-ending Ras Al Khaimah Challenge Tour Grand Final.
MacIntyre recorded five top ten finishes during his one-year stint on the Challenge Tour, including two play-off defeats at the Vierumäki Finnish Challenge and the big-money Foshan Open, with a sixth place finish at the last event of the season enough to ensure he was one of the four Scots who graduated onto the European Tour for 2019.
Away from Royal Portrush, it was a great week for Scottish golf with MacIntyre’s compatriot Calum Hill securing a four-shot victory over countryman Ewen Ferguson at the Euram Bank Open in Austria.
