Robert MacIntyre had the joy of raising $10,500 for his former university in hurricane hit Louisiana but it was the damage of a four-over par 74 that really hurt the Scot on day one of his first U.S.Open at Winged Foot.
MacIntyre managed three $US 3,500 apiece birdies for McNeese University but it was the sting of five bogeys and an early round double-bogey that dented the Oban golfer’s Long Island showing.
There was no splitting MacIntyre and fellow Scot and former amateur playing partner Sandy Scott over the front nine until each came unstuck over the later nine and amateur world no. 6 posting a five-over par 75.
The 22-year old Scott had been as high as sharing seventh place after he birdied the 11th hole to move to one-under, and in also his maiden U.S. Open.
It was a simple announcement of ‘Next on the tee, from Scotland Sandy Scott’ when the 22-year old Nairn golfer teed-up for a first time on one of golf’s four biggest stages.
Scott got off to a steady start with six straight pars before missing the green left at the par-3 seventh hole for a bogey.
He superbly bounced back finding the green at the par-5 ninth hole and then from nearly 50-feet Scott putted to 18 inches for a tap-in birdie.
Scott, and then playing more like the World No. 6 ranked pro, then muscled his way into the top-7 in draining a 12-footer for birdie at the par-4 11th hole.
However, the wheels simply came off in completing his last seven holes in six-over par that included a 14th hole double-bogey and three bogeys in succession from the 16th.
He said: “I mean, I got off to a good start, played the front nine nice and solid, hit plenty of fairways and greens, gave myself a few good looks.
“I then started to miss a few fairways coming in on the back nine and kind of gave myself too much work, really, was scrambling for pars and made some bogeys and stuff.
“There was certainly some good golf in there, but yeah, always tomorrow.
“The conditions were very fair. They’re tough for sure. You’ve just got to stay out of the rough and be smart with your approach play, and putting is certainly difficult. You have to get your line and speed pretty spot-on most of the time.
“So, I feel like I hit it well. Just fractionally off line coming in on the back. So I don’t think there’s much wrong. I’ll keep practice light this afternoon and be ready to go for tomorrow.”
And Scott was full of praise for MacIntyre.
He said: “Robert was great. I’ve played with Robert plenty of times and certainly made it more comfortable for me. Didn’t feel necessarily like the U.S. Open, but yeah, he helped for sure.”
MacIntyre got off to a super start landing a 113-yard second shot at the first to just 16 inches for an opening hole birdie.
It was $US 3,500 for his former US university, McNeese State University after Hurricane ‘Laura’ tore through the Lake Charles area along the Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana.
The Oban lefty gave up two shots at the par-3 third hole with a tee shot way right of the green in taking a double before a further dropped shot at the eighth.
There was another $US 3,500 birdie when MacIntyre found the green in two at the par-5 ninth and then putted-up to just 18 inches for a birdie ‘4’ and back to one-over.
MacIntyre bogeyed 10th but both Scot’s walked off with the birdie ‘3s’ at the next and with McNeese University assured of $US 10,500.
Sadly, and like Scott, MacIntyre also struggled in bogeying three holes in succession from the 15th,
