Scottish Open: 5 takeaways from Robert MacIntyre’s dramatic win on home soil

For the second year in a row, the Genesis Scottish Open has gone all the way to the 72nd hole, but unlike the 2023 tournament, a Scotsman has won the national open.

Robert McIntyre, a family man who loves Scotland and his hometown of Oban, a quaint west coast village famous for its dramatic coastline, won by one stroke with a birdie on the difficult par-4 18th hole to beat Adam Scott.

A fighter through and through, just like the man he was raised to be, MacIntyre never gave up. He was three strokes behind on the 14th tee but rallied over the final five holes in four under par to win the Scottish Open on home soil. MacIntyre’s victory also had historic significance: it was the first time a Scotsman had won the National Open since Colin Montgomerie’s triumph at Loch Lamond in 1999.

The win was MacIntyre’s second of the season. In early June, he won the RBC Canadian Open, with his father caddying for him. The victory in Hamilton was MacIntyre’s first PGA TOUR victory and a life-changing event for a player who less than a month ago called the Tour a “lonely place.”

But now, with Royal Troon and the British Open coming up, MacIntyre will be celebrating the biggest win of his career late into the night in his hometown with family, friends and colleagues.

“There might be some schedule changes,” McIntyre joked after his win.

“I don’t think I’m well enough to go to Troon. I don’t think I can legally drive.”

Here are five overall lessons learned from a thrilling Genesis Scottish Open.

1. There’s no Big Shot Bob without the Big Drop Bob

Two holes after his 41-foot birdie shot, McIntyre arrived at the par-5 16th needing at least one more stroke. He’d messed it up on this hole in last year’s final round, bogeying to finish one stroke behind Rory McIlroy, and McIntyre couldn’t afford to make that mistake twice.

After hitting his driver shot to the right of the fairway, it looked like he did just that, as his ball sank into deep, rugged rough — the kind of fescue that often grows on links-style golf courses and can be distressing to balls hit into it.

At this point MacIntyre was two strokes behind Scott but saving par looked like no guarantee, and the Scottish golf gods handed MacIntyre the biggest opportunity of his career.

“I was yelling and swearing as I walked up to the ball because I knew that was my chance for birdie. I walked up to the ball, I looked at it and I was like, ‘Oh man, I’m in trouble,’ maybe I can move it 100 yards,” McIntyre said.

“When I took a step back, there was no high rough for my club to get caught in, so I was able to take a step back and take a practice swing, about a foot and a half away from the ball. I heard a click. I have spikes on the front three studs of my shoes. The shoes aren’t spikes, they’re just metal spikes on the front three studs. I was like, no way. There are sprinklers under my feet. Of course you can’t feel the plastic spikes at the back. When I heard this springy noise under my spiked feet, I couldn’t believe it. I was like, no way. I was covered and I thought lucky, this was meant to happen.”

McIntyre called the umpire, who allowed the drop, giving McIntyre a better lie and a chance to get to the green in two strokes. McIntyre hit a 6-iron high from 247 yards, and the ball came to rest six feet from the hole. McIntyre made an eagle, which put him at 17 under par and in a share of the lead.

He two-putted for par on the 17th hole and then drilled a 22-foot birdie on the 18th hole to win.

But without that costly mistake, MacIntyre probably would still be hoping for that coveted Scottish Open victory.

2. Adam Scott: “The future is bright”

Photo: Luke Walker/Getty Images

Adam Scott, 43, knows his chances of winning aren’t many these days but he remains optimistic after his runner-up finish.

The Australian was leading by two strokes late on but was overtaken by MacIntyre to claim the Genesis Scottish Open title.

Scott’s only big mistake on the back nine was a poor approach on the par-4 15th hole, where he couldn’t get up-and-down from short and to the right of the green, but he made up for a bogey with a birdie on the 16th hole and then finished with two pars to finish at 17-under.

That being said, Scott had a chance to reach 18 under when a golden opportunity for birdie on the 72nd hole slipped off the right side.

“I hit it along the spine, so I read it as going straight. I thought it was going to go straight along the spine, but it went a little bit to the right,” Scott said of his putt on the 18th hole.

“It was fun actually, playing some important matches. So now I have a little bit of peace of mind and I’m excited to go into a major tournament next week in good shape because it’s been a while since I’ve been able to say I’ve played in a major tournament.”

Scott hasn’t won since the 2020 Genesis Invitational at Riviera and was last runner-up at the 2021 Wyndham Championship. His best result this year was a tie for eighth at the WM Phoenix Open. He had five top-10 finishes last year but never threatened to win.

“You know, it’s hard to complain. We’re in contention for the first time this year. I’m playing well going into next week. I feel like I’m playing at a high level,” Scott added.

“It was good to be in the running to win. We came up short, but Bob did what he needed to do to win. Eagle, par, birdie, awesome.”

3. Ludvig Auberg struggles again on Sunday

Photo: Luke Walker/Getty Images

Ludvig Oberg started the final round of the Genesis Scottish Open with a two-stroke lead over MacIntyre. He shot two 64s in the first and second rounds and then a 5-under 65 on Saturday to maintain his spot atop the leaderboard.

He played flawless golf over 54 holes and might have held an even bigger lead had it not been for a terrible break on the eighth hole on Thursday.

But the young Swede struggled again on Sunday. Despite shooting a three-under 69 on Sunday, a rookie error on the 11th hole at Augusta National saw him make a mistake. He also made an error on No. 2 at Pinehurst during the weekend. He also struggled at the Memorial Tournament on Sunday, finishing in a tie for fifth place with a final round shot of two-over 74.

Since Scottie Scheffler won his second green jacket on the second Sunday in April, he hasn’t broken 70 in the final round. So is the pressure on the rookie going into the final round?

perhaps.

But he’s only 24. He has an otherworldly talent that few players seem to find. Oberg has a beautiful short game when he pops the ball. And best of all, he plays with an incredibly efficient pace. His smile is as wide as the Atlantic Ocean and he rarely shows any signs of frustration. Still, his inefficiency on Sundays over the past three months is cause for concern, especially if he gets caught in the mix at Royal Troon and stumbles again in the final round.

4. Three players qualify for the British Open

Photo: Andrew Redington/Getty Images

One of the great things about the Genesis Scottish Open is that it’s the last chance for players to qualify for the British Open.

The R&A, which runs the British Open, will invite the top three players (not eligible for exemptions) from the Scottish Open to take part in the competition at Royal Troon.

As a result, Aaron Lai, Alex Noren and Richard Mansell qualified for the British Open due to their position on the leaderboard.

Lye, who wears gloves on both hands while playing, shot a 7-under 63 to shoot up the rankings and finish tied for fourth in Scotland, marking his fifth consecutive top-20 finish.

“I don’t think it’s sunk in yet,” Lai said.

“I didn’t have those expectations today. All the majors are great, not to mention the British Open, it’s a very special tournament, so I’m really happy and proud.”

Meanwhile, Noren is also having a good season.

The Swede shot a five-under 65 to claim his third top 10 finish in the Scottish Open.

And Mansell, playing in his final British Open tournament in 2022, shot a course-record-tying nine-under-par 61 on Sunday to move up to 46th on the leaderboard. He finished tied for 10th with Noren and also booked a spot at Royal Troon.

5. Can Collin Morikawa win soon?

Photo: Malcolm McKenzie/Getty Images

Through the first nine holes Sunday, it looked like Collin Morikawa might finally break through and claim his first win of the season. He had four birdies and one bogey for a 3-under 32 and turned in at 16 under. Morikawa, a two-time major champion who had briefly shared the lead.

But he made a mistake on the 11th hole and was reminded of something he said after the final round of the Masters.

“Greed got the better of me,” Morikawa said at the time.

“I knew my position. I just couldn’t do it.”

Morikawa was desperate for a third shot on the 11th hole on Sunday. His ball was buried in the fescue on the left, making it almost impossible for Morikawa to save par. But he was determined to hit the hero ball, and he did.

There were two pot bunkers between him and the pin, and his pull approach put him on the short side: hitting one of them would have resulted in a double bogey and, as CBS Sports commentator Trevor Immelman said on air, “killed the tournament.”

Instead of hitting the ball far past the pin for a two-putt bogey to keep his chances of winning in check, Morikawa ended up in a bunker for a double bogey and couldn’t recover after that, finishing the final round with seven straight pars for a score of 14 under par. Morikawa finished the season tied for fourth place, earning his seventh top 10 finish of the season.

Morikawa has played well enough to win in the 2024 season. His ball striking has improved significantly from a year ago, and he ranks sixth overall in strokes gained on the PGA Tour. The former California Golden Bear has also performed well in major tournaments, keeping his name on the leaderboard throughout the season.

But it’s these little mistakes that are costing Morikawa another championship. If he could make fewer of these blunders, or even just be patient when he makes them, Morikawa would be winning in no time. A win at Royal Troon would not surprise anyone. He won the Claret Jug at Royal St. George three years ago, and his game fits well into the links style of golf. But this type of golf also punishes greed, and Morikawa showed its ugly head again on Sunday.

Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation Playing Through. Follow For more golf articles, follow us on Twitter Jack Mirko In the same way.