Robert MacIntyre

Robert MacIntyre was a brilliant runner-up in the US Open having only been denied at least a play-off by JJ Spaun’s amazing two-birdie finish.

MacIntyre arrived at Royal Troon for The 152nd Open as the newly-crowned Scottish Open champion, the first home winner of the title since Colin Montgomerie in 1999.

The left-hander won the event with a closing 22-foot birdie putt only a month after his maiden PGA Tour title at the Canadian Open, a success made all the more special with his father Dougie on the bag as caddie.

The two victories catapulted MacIntyre to 16th in the world rankings less than a year after a Ryder Cup debut in which he contributed to Europe’s victory with two-and-a-half points from his three games, including a singles triumph over then US Open champion Wyndham Clark.

His Open debut came at Royal Portrush in 2019 and he finished joint sixth, followed by a tie for eighth at Royal St Georges two years later – just after he had been 12th on his first appearance in The Masters at Augusta. By then he had already captured his first DP World Tour title in Cyprus and added the 2022 Italian Open with a birdie on the first hole of a play-off against Matt Fitzpatrick.

MacIntyre represented Scotland in the 2016 Eisenhower Trophy world team championship, then Britain and Ireland at the 2017 Walker Cup.