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Most 24-year-old golfers would be delighted with making the cut on their US Open debut, particularly on a course as infamously fearsome as Winged Foot.

Robert MacIntyre is not most 24-year-old golfers.

The Oban man admitted to feeling slightly flat after rounding out his week’s work with a nine-over 79.

Asked to assess his performance, he said: “Overall, disappointed, but we made the cut of our first US Open, so got to take the positives.

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“I felt like I should have been competing. It was my style of golf course, but it was really tough. Normally I’m one of the better iron players out here but this week was just horrific. My iron play was terrible. I’ve got a lot to work on.”

MacIntyre’s honest self-assessment speaks to both his maturity and the high bar that he has set for himself.

He intends to fly back to Scotland this week and work with coach David Burns on fixing the issues that were his undoing in New York before launching an assault on the Scottish Open.

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“My goal is win it,” he said of the event, which gets underway at The Renaissance a week on Thursday. “I don’t turn up to any golf tournament not hoping to win. It’s as simple as that. If you’re not out here trying to win, then you shouldn’t be here. 

“Obviously, to win, I’ve got to do a lot of things right, and this week I felt like I’ve done a lot of things right, but a lot of things were poor. I have a lot to work on over the next week.”

The silver lining on MacIntyre’s US Open debut is that his ten birdies across the week topped up his former university’s hurricane relief fund to the tune of $35,000.

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“It’s good, but I should have made more for them,” he added. “But I’ve helped my little part, so I’ve got to be happy with myself. I’m trying to do something to help others while I play my golf. 

“Not just me but my sponsors, Aberdeen Asset, Orion Group and Arnold Clark have been a big part in that. It wouldn’t be possible without them for me to be out here playing, and for them to support me when I choose to do this kind of thing shows the support I’ve got from all my sponsors, which is huge.”


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Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Deputy Editor

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