Robert MacIntyre was content to shoot a two-under-par opening round at the Open Championship – regardless of what could have been.
MacIntyre salvaged a 70 with a birdie at the 18th at St Andrews, to conclude an up and down round.
After 12 holes, MacIntyre was four shots under par and among the closest challengers to leader Cameron Young who he was playing alongside.
A double bogey six at the 13th, followed by a bogey five at 17, threatened to undo much of his good work.
After coming good again at the final hole – narrowly missing out on an eagle – MacIntyre took satisfaction from his opening round showing.
It was a welcome boost for the Oban golfer, who missed the cut at last weekend’s Genesis Scottish Open.
MacIntyre said: “If someone had given me two-under par before I had started I would have taken it for sure. The obvious is a few mistakes, a couple of three-putts. Overall, two-under par is not a bad start.
“It doesn’t matter, the way I’m playing. It’s The Open Championship, first round and I’ve shot two-under par, it’s a good score.
“There’s a long way to go before I even start thinking about round two. I’ve got all afternoon to do things I need to do.
“I’ll work on a few things but overall I will go and relax, spend time with the family and just chill out.”
Mapping out 13th hole a key priority
Left-hander MacIntyre admits the back nine posed him problems, with the troublesome 13th hole a key overnight focus ahead of Friday’s second round.
MacIntyre, who is playing the opening two rounds alongside American Young and South Korea’s Kyoung-Hoon Lee, begins at 1.25pm.
The 25-year-old added: “I’m left-handed, and they (Young and Lee) are right-handed. There’s wind directions that suit me, and there’s wind directions that suit them.
“The back nine is tough for me, simple as that.
“I knew where I could take my chances. I feel like I committed to the game plan very well. There’s only one hole we really don’t have a plan on, and that’s 13. And the result shows you.
“At the end of the day you can’t do anything about it. You’ve done it. I need to work up a plan on how to play that hole. And it’s the only hole on the golf course that I don’t know how you hit the fairway.
“To create an angle to that pin you’ve got to hit it left, but the wind’s going. It’s an absolute nightmare of a hole. But overall two-under par, but birdied the last, bogeyed the 17th and birdied the last. I’ll take the positives.”
Playing Open Championship at St Andrews fulfils MacIntyre’s lifelong dream
MacIntyre has fared well in his two previous Open Championship outings, finishing within the top eight at both Royal Portrush and Royal St George’s.
The thrill of competing in the tournament for the first time on Scottish soil was not lost on MacIntyre, in its landmark 150th year at the home of golf.
He added: “It was absolutely brilliant. I said it to my caddie Mike Thomson a couple of times: ‘How cool is this?’ This is what it’s about.
“Every tee I walked on I was getting clapped on and every green I walked on I was getting applauded. Coming in there at 14, 15, 16, 17, and even 18 it was brilliant.
“It’s what I dreamed of as a kid, and I got to live the dream.
“I had goosebumps walking over the bridge this morning. You can hear the crowd from the stand in the front right.
“It’s somewhere I’ve always wanted to play an Open Championship and I have got to do it.”
