Robert MacIntyre continues to ride a rich vein of late season form, muscling his way to within a shot of the lead on day one of the Estrella Damm N.A Andalucia Masters.
The reigning Italian Open champion took to the tight cork tree-lined course grabbing six birdies with the pick in bright, warm but breezy conditions being a 21-footer at the par-4 14th while his 13-footer at 16th was also a gem in his four-under-par 67 effort on Spain’s Costa del Sol.
Five players – England’s David Horsey, Aussie and former Scottish Open champ Min Woo Lee along with Dane Soren Kjeldsen plus Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond and Spaniard Pep Angles share the Euro 3m field with five-under 66s.
Of note, the now 47-year-old Kjeldsen captured the final then European Tour season-ending Volvo Masters at Valderrama in 2008.
“Awkward lie, awkward stance”
But no problem for @robert1lefty 👏 #EDAM2022 pic.twitter.com/6RTKqmVkll
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) October 13, 2022
MacIntyre ‘s round was a mix of three birdies on each nine with two dropped shots; however the Oban lefty ‘burned’ the hole with a number of great chip shots to seriously suggest he’s a player to fear as the event progresses.
He said: “It was a good day’s work and any score round Valderrama with a breeze is always a positive. I felt I left a few out there, but I am rolling it well, driving it well and hitting it well – my game is in good shape.
“The work I have been doing with my coach has been about trying to get my driving back to being my strength. It was out of control, so we have been doing a few things to get the launch down. I actually changed my driver in Italy and it’s been good.”
And the Valderrama course, that from 1988 to 2008 hosted the Volvo Masters ahead of the introduction of 2009 to the Race to Dubai, also has MacIntyre excited now he’s straight into contention.
He said: “The course is brilliant. This is the closest thing we’ll get to Augusta and I love both courses and love having to hit shots.
“Sometimes you hit a fairway but are standing there with a tree in your way with the wind going in the opposite direction and you’ve just got to create something.
“For me, it’s more hands rather than body and I just love playing golf the way that this place makes you play golf.”
Glaswegian Marc Warren continues to impress also in the later stages of the season. Warren posted a bogey-free three-under 68 just four days after finishing the leading Scot last Sunday at the Spanish Open in Madrid.
