Robert MacIntyre’s all-time break leads to dramatic, clutch Scottish Open victory

You could not script Robert MacIntyre’s story of redemption at the Genesis Scottish Open.

One year after finishing runner-up to Rory McIlroy at the Renaissance Club, MacIntyre went on an impressive tear down the stretch, playing his final five holes in 4-under-par to top Adam Scott by a stroke.

His run to greatness began at the scenic par-3 14th, where MacIntyre holed a 41-footer for birdie to fire up the local crowd. His birdie there got him to 15-under for the championship.

Then, two holes later, on the par-5 16th—a hole he bogeyed one year ago—MacIntyre received an all-time break.

The Scotsman pulled his drive right of the 16th fairway, and his ball nestled down in deep, gnarly rough—the fescue that often gives links-style golf course its teeth and punishes anyone who hits it there.

A birdie looked dire, and MacIntyre needed one. At this juncture, MacIntyre trailed Scott by two, but saving par did not look like a guarantee. Then MacIntyre felt a sprinkler head with his golf shoes, so he called over a rules official, who offered him free relief.

MacIntyre took his drop, which gave him a much more favorable lie and the opportunity to go for the green in two. He pummelled his iron shot high into the air from 247 yards out, and his ball came to rest six feet from the hole.

It was the shot of the tournament.

He then drained the eagle putt, which not only fired up the Scottish crowd but put him in a tie with Scott atop the leaderboard. A two-putt par on the par-3 17th followed, and then more drama ensured on the 72nd hole, a challenging 488-yard par-4 that played downwind on Sunday.

MacIntyre bombed his tee shot down the right side of the fairway, giving him a good angle into the green, where a right-side pin awaited him. He hit his approach shot to 22 feet left of the hole, setting himself up for a relatively benign birdie opportunity.

Photo by Harry How/Getty Images

After looking it over, the southpaw stepped up, hit his attempt online, and barely gave it the perfect speed. His ball fell in the front side of the hole, giving MacIntyre his long-awaited Scottish Open victory and sending the crowd into an absolute frenzy.

The win gives MacIntyre his second career victory on the PGA Tour and his second of the season. With his father caddying for him last month, MacIntyre took home the RBC Canadian Open title, meaning he now has two National Open titles in his trophy case. That win in Hamilton was emotional for multiple reasons, as he not only had his dad—a greenskeeper—looping for him, but MacIntyre had faced plenty of adversity during his first full season on the PGA Tour. He admitted to feeling lonely, struggling to acclimate to the American lifestyle while yearning for more days in his native Scotland.

But surely, MacIntyre will not have any desolate sensations soon. He will relish this victory for years to come, as this one means as much as any.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.