Top-ranked Scot was clearly happy to be off what he described as a ‘brutal’ course with a level par 70 as the winds picked-up on the opening day of the PGA Championship in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
MacIntyre was out in the first group just after 7am local time, and off the 10th tee in warm but early overcast sky on the Southern Hills course.
It turned into two different nines for the Oban lefty, being out in two-under but coming home in two-over, and ending his round just after noon in bright sunshine but with the cross-winds getting stronger.
There was rare first in the men’s majors with a woman handling the first tee shot introductions, and introducing MacIntyre saying: “Now on the tee, please welcome from Scotland, Robert MacIntyre”
Robert MacIntyre on route to his lowest opening round score in a third appearance in the PGA Championship
And with that MacIntyre got the start he wanted splitting the fairway and then landing a 122-yard second shot to 14-feet, and holing the birdie.
At the par-5 13th or his fourth hole MacIntye walked off sharing the then lead in the 104th hosting of the PGA Championship and first finding the right rough he laided-up some 102-yards out, ahead of landing his third to seven-feet and moving into a share of the lead at two-under in holing putt for a birdie ‘4’.
Then after five pars MacIntyre made the turn at two-under but it would prove to be chalk and cheese nine holes as the Oban lefty posted a bogey at the first or the 10th hole of his round, and then dropped a second shot at the par-3 eighth, or the 17th of his round, after being well left of the green.
MacIntyre ended his round just after noon local time, and at the time just inside the top-20, and while happy with start but feeling a little short-changed over his inward half
He said: “We got nice weather to start with, not much wind, and I took advantag rolling-in a good birdie putt.
“I didn’t really miss a shot on the front nine. Easy going. I probably should have been a couple more under.
“Then on the back nine it was a lot tougher on the front nine, it’s a lot tougher nine, a lot longer holes, a lot more crosswinds. But overall level par we’ll take it.
“But out there it is absolutely brutal. If you’re not striking your ball the way you want to strike it and having the right shot shapes, you’re not going to do well. It’s as simple as that.
“It’s blowing a lot of crosswinds, and it’s a big ol’ tough golf course”.
If it is of any comfort to MacIntyre, his opening level par score is his lowest first round in three straight PGA Championships, having post a first round 73 in 2020 and a five-over 75 a year ago.
Fellow Scot Russell Knox was out in the afternoon half of the draw.
- Looking at the leaderboards early it looked like 4-under and then everything changed. It’s not going to be that easy.
