After a week that will be remembered for both glory and a hostile crowd, European Ryder Cup star Bob MacIntyre has a very different experience at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship
Bob MacIntyre is enjoying himself at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship(Image: Luke Walker/Getty Images)
Bob MacIntyre was given a hero’s welcome as he returned to action following Europe’s Ryder Cup triumph at Bethpage Black.
The Scotsman is back on home soil after playing a crucial role in Europe’s victory in New York on Sunday. Macintyre is one of four members of Luke Donald’s team competing at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
The event is contested across three of Scotland’s finest courses: The Old Course at St Andrews, Carnoustie, and Kingsbarns. The two-time PGA Tour winner is a regular in the event, but he had never experienced an ovation like the one he received on Thursday at Carnoustie. It was a very different scene to the hostile atmosphere MacIntyre and his teammates were subjected to at Bethpage last week.
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“It was brilliant. I’ve never seen the first tee like this at the Dunhill before. It was absolutely brilliant. Obviously, got a good feel this year. It was nice to put in a decent show today,” the 29-year-old said.
MacIntyre’s reception shows the influence this year’s Ryder Cup victory has had on European golf fans. He made a strong start in his homeland, carding a six-under-par opening round at Carnoustie. His attention turned to his second round at Kingsbarns on Friday.
After an unforgettable week at Bethpage, McIntyre admitted it has been “tough” to refocus and return to life on tour.
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MacIntyre is playing alongside tennis legend Andy Murray on Friday(Image: Warren Little/Getty Images)
“This week I’m trying to enjoy myself,” he added. “I’m trying not to be that stressed out about it, that overly focused, kind of just take the rough with the smooth.”
The ever-modest MacIntyre assessed his first-round 66 in trademark style, describing his performance as merely “all right.”
He continued: “The energy levels are quite low. It’s difficult. But you’ve just got to try and manage it, have a few good things in a round.
“You’ve just got to enjoy yourself as much as you can. I don’t know if I’ll enjoy myself over the next two days with the weather, but we’ll see what we can do.”
Ryder Cup teammates Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, and Matt Fitzpatrick are also in action in the DP World Tour event. Fleetwood, who was Europe’s outstanding player at Bethpage, opened up with a five-under-par loop of Carnoustie. Fitzpatrick also went round in five-under.
Hatton, who earned the crucial half point that secured Europe’s victory at Bethpage, was one shot better off at six-under after his opening round.
Fleetwood said: “I played nice. I got on a really nice run middle of the round there on the back nine. And then even at the end, great putts coming in.
“I would have loved a couple more to have dropped, but I think 5-under today was a nice score. It was beautiful conditions. Scoring is very good on the leaderboard, but I’ll take it.”
Former world No. 1 Dustin Johnson is also among the star-studded field in Scotland, and he made an impressive start at Carnoustie with an opening round of eight-under-par, just one shot off the leading pack.
