MacIntyre Breaks Out In Huge Smile & Small Scottish Jig Muscling His Way To Four Rounds In Maiden Masters

Robert MacIntyre broke out in a huge smile and produced a little Scottish jig on the last green in brilliantly muscling his way into the closing two rounds of a maiden Masters.

MacIntyre clearly could not contain his excitement and was congratulated by his proud parents Dougie and Carol as he headed the scorer’s hut with a two-under par 70 to get back to level par at Augusta National.

He said: “I’m delighted as my putting has been really good as that was the key today was that I only missed one putt outside 10-feet.

“That’s where my golf is because if I don’t miss a putt inside 10-feet I’m confident and my putting is something I have worked hard on.

“My scores are a reward for putting with my coaches and also learning the golf course along with the advice I got from Patrick Reed and Martin Laird has helped in that regard.

“But then it takes a while to work this place out as everyone knows and I feel now I am starting to figure out where I can hit it and where I can’t hit it so we’ll see how it goes now over the weekend.

“I felt really out there today because yesterday I was really nervous and was shaking bad on the first tee which is normal out here but I just wanted to get right back into the golf tournament and that’s what I went and done and give myself a chance over the weekend if I can post a good round tomorrow.”

Scotland’s top-ranked headed into day two after an opening 74 but after a third hole bogey, MacIntyre was handed back-to-back bogeys at six and seven to be now three-over in total.

MacIntyre then played a brilliant chip shot to just 18-inches for birdie on eight to head to the inward nine even for the round.

The Oban lefty then lit up the course holing a six-footer for birdie pin-high left at the par-3 12th, he two-putted the par-5 12th from some 12-feet and after finding the trees left on 14, MacIntrye sent a super wedge shot off pine straw to 10-feet also for birdie.

MacIntyre was now inside the top-20 at two-under for his round and back to level for the tournament ahead of four closing pars.

Fellow Scot Martin Laird was sharing 11th place after a similar birdie burst as MacIntyre, having birdied four holes in a nine hole stretch from the eighth to 16th holes, only to bogey his closing two in a score of 71 to get back to one-over par.

Laird ignited his push up the board with a super run of four birdies in nine holes from the eighth up to holing a brilliant 30-footer at the par-3 16th.

The Denver-based Scot pulled-out an 8-iron on 16 only for his ball to roll some 30-feet away from the flag but with Laird fist-pumping to see his birdie putt drop.

He said: “I kind of told myself to give the putt a little extra and felt like I gave it a good rap up the hill and was perfect, went in nice speed around the middle.

“It’s always nice to see those putts up those ridges going in.”

However, Laird knocked a huge pine cone off a tree down the left of 17 to take bogey and was further in the trees left off 18 and forced to chip out sideways before draining the bogey of all bogeys at the last for his 71.

Laird has now made it three weekends from his four Masters showings.

He said: “It’s so very good to be back here.  Very good.

“To be back to Augusta is great, but to play really well today — a little disappointed with my finish, but up until then I played really nicely all day, and looking forward to the weekend.”

Sandy Lyle was out in the afternoon half of the draw and teeing-off at nine-over.



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