MacIntyre Staring At DP World Tour Double Scottish/Irish Victory First

10 months ago by Comments Off on MacIntyre Staring At DP World Tour Double Scottish/Irish Victory First

History beckons for top-Scot Robert MacIntyre heading to the final round of the Amgen Irish Open at Royal County Down.

MacIntyre is staring at becoming the first golfer ever to capture both the Scottish Open and Irish Open victory trophies in the same season.

The Oban lefty battled the ‘brutal’ windy conditions to be just one of only four players on golf’s traditional ‘moving day’ to break 70 in signing for a two-under par 69 on the famed Northern Ireland course at Newcastle to the south of Belfast.

MacIntyre grabbed four birdies, and none better than his 21-footer at the par-4 16th, to trail just three shots behind red-hot favourite Rory McIlroy who bogeyed the last also in a round of 69 to lead by one at six-under from Italian Matteo Manassero (72).

McIlroy, who eagled the first for a second day running, and MacIntyre were among just eight to break pa in the 68 to make the weekend rounds.

MacIntyre toughed out the conditions with four birdies and none better than his 21-footer at the par-4, 16th.

He said: “It was absolutely brutal. Even downwind, you think you’re going to get a bit of respite but it’s so hard to control the golf ball.

“Given the conditions, I thought my game was brilliant from start to finish there. I really stayed as patient as I could”.

The World No. 16 ranked MacIntyre is competing on the regular DP World Tour for a first time since capturing the Genesis Scottish Open and victory in the Irish Open would present MacIntyre with a remarkable third national open crown in only 13 events having captured the RBC Canadian Open back in June.

He said: “Winning any golf tournament is special but winning one close to home; Oban is not too far away on the west coast of Scotland.

“I want to win every tournament I’m out there but there’s so much that goes into it.

“I’ve got myself right in position. What I set out to do at the start of the week was give myself a chance come Sunday.

“We’re here now, and hopefully go out tomorrow, play well and fight hard and see where the cards fall”.

Helping MacIntyre is the fact McIlroy carries the unwanted baggage of despair in his past two appearances at Royal County Down having been a member of the losing 2007 GB & I Walker Cup side while he hopelessly missed the halfway cut in hosting the 2015 Irish Open at the famed Irish course.

Fellow Scots Calum Hill (72) is at two-under and one fewer than Grant Forrest (73) while Ewen Ferguson (77) is back at two-over.

 

 



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