Bob MacIntyre is confident he can be among the frontrunners to lift the Claret Jug at Royal Birkdale this week. The 29-year-old is seeking to land his first major title at the Open Championship after a couple of near misses in recent years.
He is also aiming to become Scotland's first major champion in 27 years, since Paul Lawrie was crowned champion golfer of the year at Carnoustie in 1999. MacIntyre's form has been patchy at times this season, but he put together a decent run at last week's Genesis Scottish Open before finishing tied for third place.
With the scorched links at Birkdale ensuring a firm and fiery test awaits, MacIntyre insists he feels totally different now compared to when he made his Open debut at Royal Portrush in 2019.
Shift in mindset since 2019 debut
MacIntyre will tee off at 7.19am in the opening round alongside Rickie Fowler and Alex Fitzpatrick. The Scot explained that he feels massively different now compared to his debut at Portrush.
"Yeah, massively different," MacIntyre said. "In 2019, I felt like I was just being part of the tournament. I was making up the numbers, I was just seeing how well can I do in this event."
"Whereas now, I come here and I know that if I play well, I've got a chance to win," he added. "That's all I'm trying to do. If I play the golf I know I can play, I'm going to have a chance to win come Sunday - and that's the difference."
"In 2019, I didn't know how good I was, I didn't know how good I could be," MacIntyre said. "I was just playing with zero expectation and had a good finish. Now there's an expectation and demand on myself, but it's not pressure. I know if I play well, I'll have a chance."
"It would be unbelievable if I had a chance," MacIntyre said. "My job is to go out there, play golf, try and play as well as I can, and give myself a chance. If I go out there and execute my plan, execute mentally, technically and physically, then there's no reason why I can't be in with a chance on Sunday."
Scottish presence at Birkdale
MacIntyre is one of only two Scots in the field this week, alongside one-time Challenge Tour companion Jack McDonald. McDonald, who hails from Kilmarnock Barassie, is currently doing his PGA Pro training at Whitecraigs and earned his spot in The Open at final qualifying at Dundonald.
"Yeah, it's a shame that there's not more of us," MacIntyre said. "But I've seen Jack a few times. I've travelled with Jack quite a bit on the Challenge Tour."
"So yeah, we get on great, and Jack's obviously gone to work at Whitecraigs, taking a different avenue now, but no, a great guy and great player," he added.
