Scottish Open: 5 takeaways from Robert MacIntyre’s dramatic win on home soil
Robert MacIntyre won a PGA Tour event for the second time, but this victory in his native Scotland felt extra special.
The Genesis Scottish Open came down to the 72nd hole for the second consecutive year. But unlike the 2023 edition, a Scotsman prevailed in his national open.
Robert MacIntyre, the family man who loves nothing more than his cherished hometown of Oban, the quaint West Coast village famous for its Scotch and dramatic coastline, birdied the challenging par-4 18th hole to eclipse Adam Scott by a stroke.
A fighter at heart, MacIntyre—like his upbringing—never gave up. He faced a three-shot deficit when he stood on the 14th tee but rallied to play his final five holes in 4-under-par to steal the Scottish Open on his home soil. MacIntyre’s win also carries historic significance. It’s the first time a Scotsman has won his National Open in 25 years, as Colin Montgomerie won at Loch Lamond in 1999.
MacIntyre’s win is also his second of the season. He won the RBC Canadian Open in early June, with his father filling in as his caddy. The win in Hamilton was MacIntyre’s first PGA Tour victory, a life-altering event for the man who referred to the tour as a “lonely place” less than a month before.
But now, in his homeland, MacIntyre will celebrate the biggest win of his career with his family, friends, and mates well into the night—even with Royal Troon and The Open Championship on deck.
“Think there might be a change of schedule,” MacIntyre joked after his win.
“I don’t think I’ll be in a fit state to get to Troon. I don’t think I’ll be legally able to drive.”
Here are five overall takeaways from a thrilling Genesis Scottish Open:
1. No Big Shot Bob without Big Drop Bob
Two holes after draining a 41-footer for birdie, MacIntyre arrived at the par-5 16th in need of another one—at the very least. He had made a mess of things on this hole during the final round a year ago, making a bogey as he ultimately finished one behind Rory McIlroy. MacIntyre could not afford to make the same mistake twice.
After pulling his drive right of the fairway, it looked like he had done just that. His ball nestled down in deep, gnarly rough—the fescue that often gives links-style golf courses its teeth and punishes anyone who hits it there.
MacIntyre trailed Scott by two at this juncture, but saving par did not look like a guarantee. Then, the Scottish golfing gods gave MacIntyre the biggest break of his career.
“I’m shouting, and I’m swearing when I’m getting up to the ball because I know that that’s my chance to really make a birdie coming in. I got over the ball and looked at it, thinking, ‘I’m in a bit of trouble here.’ Might manage to move it maybe a hundred yards,” MacIntyre said.
“As I took a step back, obviously, there was no high rough where it would tangle the club. So I could take the practice swing, like a foot, foot and a half from the ball, and just a step back. I just heard the clunk; I’ve got spikes on the front three of my shoes, not on my shoe as spikes, but just the front three studs as metal spikes, and I was like, no way. I’ve got a sprinkler underneath my foot. Obviously the plastic spikes at the back, you don’t feel it. I couldn’t believe it when I heard a spring under my foot where my spike is, and I was like, no way. It was covered, and I thought I got lucky; it was meant to be.”
MacIntyre called over a rules official, who then allowed him to take a drop, giving him a much more favorable lie and the opportunity to go for the green in two. He pummelled his 6-iron high into the air from 247 yards out, and his ball came to rest six feet from the hole. He drained the eagle try, which bumped him up to 17-under and into a share of the lead.
He two-putted for par on 17 and then holed a 22-footer for birdie on 18 to win.
But without that big drop, MacIntyre would—in all likelihood—still be longing for that coveted Scottish Open victory.
2. Adam Scott: ‘Future is bright’
Forty-three-year-old Adam Scott knows his chances of winning do not come often nowadays, yet he remained optimistic after his runner-up finish.
The Aussie held a two-shot lead down the stretch but saw MacIntyre pass him by to snatch the Genesis Scottish Open away.
Scott’s one big mistake on the back nine came at the par-4 15th, as he could not get up and down from short and right of the green after a poor approach. But he salvaged that bogey with a birdie on the 16th hole and then finished with a pair of pars to post a 17-under score.
With that said, Scott had a good look to get to 18-under; his excellent look at birdie on the 72nd hole just slid by on the right side.
“It was kind of down the spine, and I read it to go straight. I was like straight down the spine, but it went right a little bit,” Scott said of his putt on 18.
“You know, it was fun to have one that mattered, actually. So, I’m excited to take some comfort from this and head into a major next week in form. Because it’s been a while since I can say I’ve done that.”
Scott has not won since the 2020 Genesis Invitational at Riviera and last posted a runner-up finish at the 2021 Wyndham Championship. His best finish this year came at the WM Phoenix Open, where he tied for eighth. He had five top 10s a year ago, but never threatened victory.
“You know, it’s hard to complain about anything. It’s the first time I’ve been in contention this year. I like where my game is headed going into next week. Feel like I’m playing at a high level,” Scott added.
“Good to be in the mix. A shame to come up short, but Bob did what he had to do to win. Eagle, par, birdie, that’s great stuff.”
3. Ludvig Åberg struggles on Sunday again
Ludvig Åberg began the final round of the Genesis Scottish Open with a two-shot lead over MacIntyre. He posted a pair of 64s during the first and second rounds and then shot a 5-under 65 on Saturday to maintain his position atop the leaderboard.
He had played flawless golf for 54 holes and could have held an even greater lead if not for a brutal break that he suffered on the 8th hole on Thursday.
But once again, the young Swede struggled on Sunday. We saw him make a rookie mistake on the 11th hole at Augusta National, even though he did shoot a 3-under 69 on that Sunday. He made mistakes over the weekend at Pinehurst No. 2. He also struggled at the Memorial Tournament on Sunday, posting a final round 2-over 74 to tie for fifth.
He has not carded a sub-70 final round since that second Sunday in April, which saw Scottie Scheffler win his second green jacket. So, is the final-round pressure getting to the rookie?
Perhaps.
But he is only 24 years old. He possesses an otherworldly talent that few others have. Åberg hits the ball on a string, has a beautiful short game, and perhaps best of all, he plays at a remarkably efficient pace. He smiles as wide as the Atlantic Ocean and rarely shows frustration. Still, his lack of efficiency on Sundays over the past three months is something to monitor, especially if he finds himself in the mix at Royal Troon and stumbles during the final round again.
4. Three players qualify for The Open
One of the beautiful things about the Genesis Scottish Open is that it’s the last opportunity for players to get into The Open Championship field.
The R&A, the governing body that facilitates The Open, invites the top three finishers from the Scottish Open—not otherwise exempt—to join the field at Royal Troon.
As such, Aaron Rai, Alex Noren, and Richard Mansell all qualified for The Open, thanks to their standing on the leaderboard.
Rai, who dons two gloves during play, posted a 7-under 63 to soar up the leaderboard and finish in a tie for fourth in Scotland, meaning he has finished in the top 20 in five straight starts.
“I think it still really has not sunk in,” Rai said.
“I really did not have those expectations going into today. I mean, any of the majors are incredible. The British Open is obviously very, very special. So yeah, just incredibly pleased and proud.”
Noren, meanwhile, has also had a strong season.
The Swede posted his third top-10 result at the Scottish Open, thanks to a 5-under 65.
Then, Mansell, who last played in The Open in 2022, tied the course record on Sunday, shooting a 9-under 61 to climb the leaderboard 46 places. He finished T-10 alongside Noren and punched his ticket to Royal Troon, too.
5. Can Collin Morikawa close one out soon?
For the first nine holes on Sunday, it looked as if Collin Morikawa could finally break through and win for the first time this season. He shot a 3-under 32, making four birdies to one bogey to make the turn at 16-under. The two-time major winner even held a share of the lead at one point.
But then he made a mistake on the 11th hole, which reminded me of what he said after the final round of The Masters.
“Greed got the best of me,” Morikawa said then.
“I knew where I stood. I just can’t do that.”
Morikawa got greedy with his third shot on the 11th hole on Sunday. With his ball nestled down in the left fescue, Morikawa had little chance of saving par. But he desperately tried to play hero ball and do so.
Two pot bunkers sat between him and the pin, as he had short-sided himself thanks to his pulled approach. Finding one of those pot bunkers would bring a double bogey into play, and as CBS Sports analyst Trevor Immelman said on the broadcast, doing so would “throw the tournament away.”
Instead of playing well past the pin and two-putting for a bogey, thus keeping his chances at winning intact, Morikawa found the bunker and made a double bogey. He could not recover, making seven straight pars to finish his final round and post a 14-under-score. He finished in a tie for fourth, his seventh top 10 result of the season.
Morikawa has played very well in 2024—well enough to win. His ball-striking has greatly improved from a year ago, and he ranks sixth on the PGA Tour in strokes gained overall. The former California Golden Bear has also played well in the majors, as his name has been on leaderboards all season long.
But small mistakes like these have prevented him from entering the winner’s circle again. If he can limit those blunders—or even take his medicine when he makes an error—Morikawa will be victorious soon enough. Heck, it would surprise nobody if he won at Royal Troon. He claimed the Claret Jug three years ago at Royal St. George’s, so his game translates well to links-style golf. But this type of golf also punishes greed, which reared its ugly head in Morikawa once more on Sunday.
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.