Top-ranked Scot Robert MacIntyre has withdrawn from this week’s Irish Open admitting he’s ‘crushed, battered and bruised’ a brutal U.S. Open mauling at Winged Foot.
MacIntyre, 24, will arrive back to Scotland Monday having posted a final round nine-over par 79 for a 21-over tally to share 56th place among the remaining 61 in the field.
The Scot ended his round some 30-minutes before the final group teed-up ahead of packing-up his belongings, and along with his mother Carol, coach Davy Burns, heading south to New York city for a flight home.
MacIntrye said: “I was intending to play the Irish but, I mean, good luck to the boys traveling from here this week that have been battered and bruised out on that golf course this week and playing this week at Galgorm.
“I think it’s just a normal thing to do and that is to withdraw.
“It’s been a mental battle out here this week, and it just crushes you. The other reason is I’ve got to go work on some things.
“This week I’ve pinpointed a few areas where I really need to improve, and I’ll go away with my coach and work on that.”
MacIntyre’s closing round reflected the drain for the champion young Scot in posting just two birdies but then running on the smell of a virtual oily rag with four outward bogeys.
He did birdie the 12th but played the closing six holes in seven-over with two bogeys, a double-bogey and a 71st hole triple bogey.
He said: “Today was the same as the rest of the week, driving it all right and just hitting my irons horrifically. Overall disappointed, but we made the cut of our first U.S. Open, so got to take the positives.”
MacIntyre had brilliantly managed to save par in near darkness on Friday to be assured of playing all four rounds, and also making it three four-rounds in as many majors since his superb T6th in last year’s Open Championship at Royal Portrush.
And the weekend rounds proved just as brutal with the Scot managing to hit just one of 14 Winged Foot fairways on day three in his score of 76 while he doubled that figure on day four.
Overall, and in a reflection of the toughness, MacIntyre found only 11 of 58 fairways.
Though there was a silver lining to the toughest four days in MacIntyre’s short pro career then it’s effort to help those affected earlier this year by Hurricane ‘Laura’.
MacIntyre went into just a third career major proudly guaranteeing $US 3,500 for every birdie he recorded at Winged Foot towards a’ fund-raising appeal set-up from his former university at Lake Charles in Louisiana.
The young Scot was a member of the McNeese University golf team and during his time made many friends, and many whose houses were totally flattened by the hurricane earlier this year.
MacIntrye picked up three birdies on day one and a promise of $10,500 and he doubled that on day two also with three birdies.
He grabbed a further two birdies on Saturday to lift the total to $28,000.
And now MacIntyre, after two closing day birdies and 10 in total, can write a cheque to fund for $35,000.
He said: “It’s great to be able to help out, but I should have made more for them but I’ve helped my little part, so I’ve got to be happy with myself.
“I’m trying to do something to help others while I play my golf, and to raise that kind of money, not just me but my sponsors, Aberdeen Asset, Orion Group and Arnold Clark have been a big part in that, and it wouldn’t be possible without them for me to be out here playing, and for them to support me when
“I choose to do this kind of thing shows the support I’ve got from all my sponsors, which is huge.”
