He’s done it! Robert MacIntyre wins first European Tour title

The monkey is off his back. Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre is a European Tour winner at last.

The reigning ‘Rookie of the Year’ held off Japan’s Masahiro Kawamura to win the Aphrodite Hills Cyprus Showdown after closing with a seven-under 64.

It is a first victory in 45 starts on the tour for the 24-year-old from Oban, who becomes the 25th different Scottish winner on the European Tour.

“This is what I’ve been working for,” said an emotional MacIntyre afterwards. “It’s been a difficult few months for me. Only my family know what’s been going on. I just can’t believe it. I can’t believe it.

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“It’s what I’ve dreamed of since I was a little kid watching Scottish Opens at Loch Lomond. I gave myself a lot of chances last year and this week the format suited me and we took it out.”

With his win, MacIntyre is projected to climb to a career-high of 62nd on the Official World Golf Ranking and into the top-25 on the Race To Dubai. He has also earned himself a cheque for €200,000.

Importantly, it also ends the speculation over how much longer he will have to wait to become a winner at the top level.

In his 44 starts before this week, MacIntyre had finished in the top-10 nine times – including runner-up on three separate occasions. 

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Even last week in the Cyprus Open at the same venue, he had to content himself with a tie for third, despite posting nothing worse than a 68 all week.

“I’ve done a lot of work in the last six months, not thinking about winning a golf tournament, just to play my golf,” he added.

“Last year, I was talking and thinking about winning golf tournaments when I was going down the back nine on a Sunday, but this year I’ve just tried to take my time and let it happen. 

“What will happen will happen – and it’s happened today.”