Top Scot Robert MacIntyre was staring at a sobering 16-hour flight to LA after another day of frustration in the UAE emirate of Ras Al Khaimah(RAK).
MacIntyre continued to struggle with a backup driver and that was no more evident in finding water down the right side of the 72nd hole on route to a 70 for a disappointing share of ninth place and tied with fellow Scot Scott Jamieson (71) at the close of the RAK Golf Classic.
It’s a second straight week on a ‘Made for MacIntyre’s Game’ Al Hamra layout the Oban lefty has come up short-changed, and not helped by a cracked driver on day two of the $2m event, and a second week he could have easily walked away with a very long overdue second Tour success.
MacIntyre got the final day start he needed with back-to-back birdies at three and four before getting himself well in contention, holing a 14-footer for an eagle ‘3’ at eight. However, it proved the highwater mark of any challenge with a wayward drive on nine leading to bogey. Poor drives followed at 12, 13, 14, 16, and then down the last.
Robert MacIntyre ends his round handing his ball to a young fan. (Photo @TuorMiss)
MacIntyre’s frustration, and after his bogey on 16 where he flew the green, also boiled after an indifferent second shot at 17 that had the Scot slamming his iron into the fairway. He walked from the last with a third bogey of the day, handed his ball to a waiting youngster, and then made a bee-line for the clubhouse to clean out his locker.
MacIntyre was heading the hour’s drive south to Dubai Airport for an 8.30 am (Monday local time) flight to L.A., in accepting an invitation to contest Thursday’s starting PGA Tour Genesis Invitational on the Riviera course in Santa Monica.
In contrast, Kiwi Ryan Fox was not only staring at an 18-hour flight home to Auckland but also must undergo a 10-days mandatory quarantine following his victory in the inaugural Ras Al Khaimah Golf Classic.
Fox, 35, was never headed over the four rounds of the second of the double-header at the Al Hamra club, and posting scores of 63, 69, 65 and 69 to comfortably win by five shots at 22-under-par from England’s Ross Fisher, who signed off with a 66 to finish second.
Three players – Spaniard Pablo Larrazal (69), and the South African Zander Lombard (65) and German Hurly Long 64) – shared third place at 16-under-par.
Fox, who was showered in champers by fellow golfers, is the first Kiwi player in 23-years since Michael Campbell to win wire-to-wire, and when ‘Cambo’ captured the 2000 Johnnie Walker Classic in Taiwan.
Fox, in a dripping wet shirt, said: “I’m standing here very proud. It’s been a great week with a fairly tough day, today and I don’t think I’ve slept on a lead for three nights in a row before in my career, and to be sleeping last night on a six-shot lead wasn’t very comfortable”.
Fifer Connor Syme was the best of the Scots posting a 68, thanks to four birdies over his closing nine holes, to share sixth place on 15-under-par, and his overdue first top-10 in a year.
Syme said: “I’m pretty pleased to finish top-10 as I had a really good last 10 holes but after pars at one and two, I hit it right into water on three and made ‘6’, and I was right up against it.
“Though it was nice to play the closing nine in four-under, so overall pleased. Playing here for the two weeks it’s all been about making birdies, and while the course has been set-up fair unless you were making birdies you definitely were moving backward, for sure.
“So, it definitely helped me to make a few more birdies at the end.
“Also, looking at the scores here at Al Hamra for the two weeks it’s been a pretty good standard by most who’ve tee-up, and there are areas around the front of the greens on so many holes where you can putt from off the green and, I feel, that is probably the reason why there have been so many birdies”.
