Scotland's MacIntyre nipped at the final hole

The Scottish Open is well-known for attracting some of the big names in golf, especially as it is timed just one week before the Open Championship.  No wonder then that the World Number One Golfer from America, Scottie Scheffler and four-times Major winner, Rory McIlroy from Northern Ireland, were among the players in the Genesis Scottish Open held at the Renaissance Club, North Berwick, Scotland (13-16 July).  And what a magical tournament it was for 34-year old McIlroy.

 

A sunny but stormy day greeted the players at North Berwick for the final day of play.  The crowds were thrilled and excited that their local man, Robert MacIntyre from Oban, Scotland was on a roll.  Could the 26 year old, who only turned professional just six years ago, overcome the challenge from Rory McIlroy?

 

The month of July is an ideal time to venture to the UK to brush-up on the delicate chips needed to conquor links golf.  Indeed, top sport gives us all so much hope and inspiration to pull off the impossible.  Take a look at this year’s tennis at Wimbledon.  Who would have thought that the number one player in the world, Carlos Alcaraz from Spain would beat the Wimbledon multi-legend Novak Djokovic in this year’s final?

 

MacIntyre takes the lead

 

With just five holes to play, MacIntyre was placed as leader on 13-under par.  The Scot was now one enviable shot ahead of McIlroy who was the tournament leader after 54 holes.  Indeed, MacIntyre had rather surprisingly raised his game on Sunday to come back from a tie of 13th place on 8-under par to take the lead in the Scottish Open.

 

 

McIlroy was struggling on the first nine on Sunday where he made four bogeys and two birdies.  MacIntyre made two birdies on the front nine which he then followed with an eagle at the par 5, 10th to soar up the leaderboard.  The player from Northern Ireland then birdied the 11th and the 14th where he holed an enormous putt to get to 13-under par and so share the lead with McIlroy.  Now this was the turning point in the game as MacIntyre also birdied the 14th and 15th holes.

 

The best of the English

 

Other players in the running in Scotland were Tyrrell Hatton and Tommy Fleetwood from England.  America’s Scottie Scheffler and David Lingmerth (Sweden) were also within striking distance of winning the Scottish Open.

 

Hatton finished with a drama on the 18th where he chipped and three-putted to close with double-bogey six for 9-under par.  Fleetwood suffered a similar fate to also close at 9-under.

 

MacIntyre was playing ahead of McIlroy so the Major winner had a good chance of seeing what the left-handed player was able to produce on the par-70 links course.  A bogey at the par-5 16th looked costly for the Scot but he kept his cool and gave himself a steady par at the par-3 17th before tackling the final hole.

 

The gusty winds buffered the players all day long and MacIntyre had to stand his ground against the elements to tackle the 444-yard long closing hole.

 

Against all the odds, he creamed a spectacular shot onto the green to just over a yard from the pin.  A birdie here would give him a one-stroke advantage over McIlroy.  He took his aim but was buffetted by the severe wind so he had to stop and line-up again.  Moments later the birdie was his which gave him a closing score of 64 for Sunday and a tournament tally of 14-under par.  MacIntyre was leading the Scottish Open by one stroke.

 

Major winner nudges his way forward

 

McIlroy was keenly watching the scoreboards and knew exactly what was expected of him.  A birdie at the 17th or 18th holes would give him chance of a play-off with MacIntyre.  So what happened next?  Well, he birdied the 17th to tie for the lead with MacIntyre!  The magic which only ever seems to happen in the Major Championships was unfolding before our very eyes.  Could McIlroy produce another birdie down the final hole?  In the meantime, MacIntyre was keeping his swing going on the practice range just in case there was a play-off.

 

As the final group on the course, McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood and Tom Kim from Korea made their way down the final hole.  McIlroy was undecided on his approach club.  The strong wind against pursuaded him to take a 2-iron.  And what a superb decision that was!  His ball flew onto the green peppering the flag from about three and a half yards.

 

Kim was due to putt first but, alas, his ball moved ever so slightly after he replaced it, so the referee had to be called to check the ruling.  It was another nail-biting moment for Rory McIlroy who simply needed to hole his birdie putt and claim the Scottish Open trophy.  Kim then putted but, alas, missed the hole and then missed the return.

 

It was time for Rory McIlroy to show his putting talent at the 18th hole.  He took his time and then unbelievably holed the putt for back-to-back birdies to seize the Aberdeen Scottish Open title by one shot from Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre.

 

Wendy Hoad

Editor

 

 

MAIN PHOTOGRAPH:  The delighted 2023 Aberdeen Scottish Open winner, Rory McIlroy.  MINIS (l-r): Robert MacIntyre, Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy.