Ten years less than Colin Montgomerie has taken Robert MacIntyre to win the first great double of Scottish golf. The left-hander was crowned this Sunday at the age of 29 at the Old Course in St Andrews. He has conquered the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship just a year after winning the Scottish Open. He already has both. The fabulous Monty was the only compatriot of MacIntyre capable of doing something similar. Now, the only thing Bob is missing is an Open Championship in Scotland. The most beautiful. The most important. The trilogy. What Montgomerie never achieved.
It was a victory as cold as the Scottish weather. Yes, there was a crowd, the home of golf blessed him as only those fans know how to do, but something was missing. A lot. To begin with, the excitement of a final day with everyone playing on the same course and in reverse order of the leaderboard. The most disruptive still believe that those who do not adapt to the shotgun format of LIV Golf are just old-fashioned, outdated, closed-minded. There will be all sorts. But today’s event at St Andrews is yet another demonstration that every sport has its rituals and some things are more dispensable than others. MacIntyre’s victory was lacklustre.
Does it detract any merit from MacIntyre? Absolutely not. Quite the opposite. It only adds more significance to his achievement. For coming from where he comes: Ryder Cup (more high-level celebration the following two days). For how the week has been: Thursday was a picture-perfect day, Friday was played in the middle of a storm, Saturday’s round was blown away, and the only one that was completely normal, albeit windy, was today. These are not ideal conditions for someone who comes exhausted from Bethpage. A monument should be erected to MacIntyre in his hometown of Oban. Or two. Because he surely already has one.
MacIntyre’s victory had no story. Impeccable. Nothing to object. Three rounds of 66 strokes. It didn’t matter whether it was Carnoustie, Kingsbarns, or the Old Course. However, he was helped by playing Carnoustie in the best conditions on Thursday. Only three bogeys in 54 holes. Sensational. Precisely, today he made the only one when the victory was already in the bag, on the 17th at St Andrews, on the legendary Road Hole. It mattered little. The coldness of his triumph was mainly due to the tee times. When he finished, there were players who still had nine holes to go. No one was going to catch him, but you have to wait. Lacklustre.
MacIntyre has the gift of timing. He not only wins good tournaments, but they also carry a great emotional weight. Perhaps this is precisely what drives him the most. Apart from his first triumph in Cyprus on the DP World Tour (aside from the one achieved in Kuwait on the Mena Tour in 2017), Bob has won in Italy, on the Ryder Cup course. He has won in Canada on the PGA Tour, with his father as caddie. He has won in Scotland, needless to say. And now he has won at the Old Course. What more could you ask for? Well, the Open in Scotland… and preferably at St Andrews. It is the fifth victory of his career.
MacIntyre won by four strokes over Tyrrell Hatton, another who always performs well when he steps onto the DP World Tour. What a competitor. Another who came from the Ryder Cup. Another who came from the most horrible Sunday of his life due to the pressure. As if nothing happened. Interestingly, they played together this Sunday. Five strokes behind in third place were Richard Sterne, who secures his card for another year, and John Parry, who takes another giant step towards the PGA Tour card.
