Bob MacIntyre is plotting a disciplined gameplan for The Open at Royal Birkdale, where fast, firm conditions demand extreme accuracy off the tee.
Many of the world's top players have explained how they plan to tackle the layout. Royal Birkdale is extremely narrow and demanding off the tee, putting a premium on accuracy and hitting fairways rather than favoring big hitters. With scorched turf and fast, fiery fairways, the importance of accuracy increases tenfold.
Some players may not carry a driver in their bag, given that some are hitting a five-iron close to 300 yards. Others remain tempted to carry driver, knowing tee shots could run out to about 400 yards. MacIntyre believes the tournament will be a battle of wits and a chess match where players must carefully plot their way around the course.
MacIntyre practiced yesterday at Royal Birkdale on a course playing firm and fast in searing heat, where staying cool will be vital. The Scot splashed out of the sand in one of Birkdale's many deep, difficult bunkers as he relishes the strategic test in his pursuit of a first major title and the Claret Jug on Sunday evening.
Strategic choices off the tee
MacIntyre confirmed he will keep his driver in the bag for specific holes on the front nine. To assess conditions, he sent his fitness coach, Kenny McKenzie, down the fairways to check ball movement.
McKenzie found significant roll-out on the hard turf. "The ball was running out for fully 50 yards on some tee shots, even with like a six or seven iron," MacIntyre said. "Some guys will flip the coin and go with driver anyway, but then you run the risk of bunkers and all the other trouble."
Hitting greens in regulation remains MacIntyre's primary focus. "For me, hitting greens in regulation is the key, so it’s about playing smart golf and hitting fairways," he explained. "There’s a lot of short clubs off the tee, just to stay out the pot bunkers, get it on the green from there and just try and take your chances."
Disciplined execution will dictate his performance throughout the week. "I think it’s a very strategic golf course. You’ve really got to stay disciplined to your gameplan and trust that it’s right," MacIntyre said. He added that he could barely recall playing a course this firm, citing the 2022 Open at St Andrews or a Scottish Amateur at Panmure when the ground was burnt and shiny like concrete.
MacIntyre demonstrated his backswing on the fiery links and lined up putts in practice, noting that touch around the greens will be another critical factor. "It does change your approach. You need to play smart golf, know where to miss it in the right spot, and be able to get up and down," he said.
Layout changes and wind challenges
The layout at Royal Birkdale features several changes since The Open was last held at the course in 2017. The 15th hole is a brand new par three measuring 240 yards off the back tees, presenting a massive challenge for the field.
MacIntyre experienced the course conditions during early practice rounds. "I played nine holes, the back nine, on Monday afternoon in strong winds - and it was brutal," MacIntyre recalled. "It’s tough, but yeah, I’ve had a bit more time to work it out since then, so we’ll see."
He offered a mixed review of the modified par three hole. "In terms of the new par three, I think it’s fine off the tee box at 200 yards, it’s a good hole," MacIntyre said. "In terms of the tee at 240 yards, I thought they should just build a grandstand on top of that. It’s a long, long way back."
Strong winds made the long hole particularly grueling. "I hit rescue earlier in the week and didn’t even get near the green. Especially with it being into the wind, it’s brutal," he added.
Form and putting adjustments
MacIntyre got into the swing of things on an already baked looking course as he eyes tournament glory. His form has been patchy at times this season, missing cuts at the Masters and USPGA Championship and falling outside the world's top 10.
However, recent performances show positive momentum, most notably a tie for third place at last week's Genesis Scottish Open after a strong weekend run. The 29-year-old Scot feels confident he can be among the main contenders come the weekend at Royal Birkdale.
Holing putts will be key after spending considerable time working to improve his approach play, which had been a weakness earlier in the year. "It was a decent week last week to get ready for this," MacIntyre said. "It’s a different test, but it’s still golf. You’ve got to hit it where you’re aiming it and hit the distances. Hopefully I can hole a few more putts than last week."
Establishing a strategy for the closing holes presented a challenge. "I have found it hard to get a gameplan in place for the back nine. Just the course in general, you need to accept there’s going to be some long approach shots into the par fours," he admitted.
Maintaining composure remains central to his weekly routine. "I’m pretty good at it. I think now I’ve got a slightly different perspective on it. I come here, do my job, I’ve got things that I have to do," MacIntyre said. He acknowledged that putting performance needed extra attention.
"There are certain things that probably the last couple of weeks I’ve let slip with my putting," MacIntyre explained. "I’ve probably not done as much performance stuff on the putting and last week, if I’d putted the way I know I can putt, it was going to be a different story."
To correct the issue, MacIntyre plans to dedicate extra practice time to putting. "But it wasn’t, and yeah, just going to put a little bit more focus in on that - like getting back to doing what I’ve done. Maybe spend half an hour more on it because I’ve been putting so much work into the long game because it was a weakness for a while," he said.
He described his structured approach to each tournament week. "There is a checklist you go through and it’s the same every week. The same with technical stuff, it’s the same. It doesn’t change. It’s just rinse and repeat the whole thing. But then you do more work on one area and you neglect another area, and then it just flips from a strength to a weakness. It’s just - it’s all about trying to just manage it, and once you get it in a good spot, just keep it going," MacIntyre concluded.
