A nation rejoices: Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre birdies last hole of Scottish Open to capture the tournament he always dreamed of winning

GULLANE, Scotland — Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Golfer comes to last hole in final round of Genesis Scottish Open needing a birdie to claim the title. And does so, breaking the heart of the runner-up in the process.

One year from watching Rory McIlroy hit what proved to be the “shot of the season” on the DP World Tour onto the 18th green at the Renaissance Club, then make that clinching putt, Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre repeated the feat to make off with the $1.62 million first-place check and the undying admiration of a grateful nation. Speaking on Twitter, former Ryder Cup player, Stephen Gallacher, deftly summed up the mood: “Bobby Mac. What a finish. Take a bow son.”

“The Scottish Open is the one I want,” MacIntyre had said on the eve of a final round that would see him reach the promised land that was 18 under par, one-shot better than Adam Scott. But for long enough during his closing 67 it looked like it was the one he wasn’t going to get. Not this time anyway. Overnight leader Ludvig Aberg maintained his place atop the leaderboard until the Swede’s third bogey of the day on the par-4 13th saw Scott assume first place. Then it was the 43-year-old Australian who looked the most likely winner.

Ah, but inspiration sprinkled with a spot of good fortune can do wondrous things for a golfer. The scorecard will stoically announce that MacIntyre played his last five holes in four under par, a notable run highlighted first by an eagle at the par-5 16th hole. And it was there that the crucial moment occurred.

Having missed the fairway badly to the right, Macintyre looked to be reduced to heaving his ball back to the fairway from long grass that reached knee-height. But wait. What was that he could feel under his steel-spiked foot? A sprinkler head? Then yes, young man, you may have a free drop, one that will allow you to drop your ball in much shorter grass.

To his credit, MacIntyre was quick to acknowledge the enormity of the moment.

“I got a bit of luck on 16, the luck you need to win golf tournaments,” he said. “I couldn’t believe when I felt that sprinkler under my foot. I could feel the clunk. I’m like ‘no way.’ It was covered. But it was meant to be.”

Indeed, it was a huge break. But one the recently crowned Canadian Open champion still had to make the most of. Which he did in spades, flighting a beautiful 6-iron approach to the distant green that finished six feet from the cup. In went the putt that tied the lead and provided the momentum for what was to follow.

“I think I lost my voice after the scream on the last hole,” said MacIntyre, his own volume was more than matched by the large crowd around the putting surface. “I had so much emotion going through me. I had a tear in my eye even before I hit the putt. Then I thought it was short. Look, I’ve put a lot of work into this. I’ve changed a lot within the team and I’ve just worked hard. The crowd and the support has been unbelievable. I was close last year but I had my chance here at the end. I just kept saying to myself, just take the chance, take the chance. And I took it. I can’t believe it.”

As you’d expect from a man who has seen pretty much everything in the game, Scott was magnanimous in defeat. He has, after all, endured much worse, most memorably the four consecutive bogeys with which he concluded the 2012 Open Championship at Royal Lytham.

“There was a lot of good stuff for me this week,” said the former Masters champion. “So it’s hard to complain about anything. This is the first time I’ve been in contention this year. I like where my game is headed going into next week. I feel like I’m playing at a high level. It was good to be in the mix. Yes, a shame to come up short, but Bob did what he had to do to win. Eagle, par, birdie, that’s great stuff.”

As for the defending champion, McIlroy came up four-shots short this time round as part of a six-way tie for fourth alongside, amongst others, the faltering Aberg. But no matter. The four-time major champion left his first competitive appearance since his U.S. Open nightmare in fine fettle.

“I had a lot of chances that I wasn’t able to convert, and that was sort of the story of the week,” said the Irishman after signing for a closing 68. “Felt like the ball-striking was there pretty much every day. There was a few scrappy bits here and there but overall, it was a good week to see where my game is heading into next week. Especially after the back of three weeks off. I’m pleased. I had one eye on trying to defend here but obviously with an eye on trying to get prepared for Troon as well.”

Elsewhere, top of the incidentally list is the trio of Aaron Rai, Richard Mansell and Alex Noren who claimed the last three spots in this week’s Open Championship. Rai tied for fourth on 14 under par alongside a group of already exempt players to take the first qualifying place. Mansell’s closing 61 saw him claim his spot, while Noren carded a 65 to finish on the same 13-under-par mark.

Which leaves one last thing. For those in search of an omen, the last man who won the Scottish Open and the Open Championship in successive weeks played, as those from Caledonia might put it, “corrie-fisted.” That’s left-handed in the King’s English. Phil Mickelson was the golfer in question back in 2013. So who knows what might happen at Royal Troon over the coming days? MacIntyre has already shown the world how much he likes a precedent.