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Robert MacIntyre has his sights set on cracking the world’s top-50 by the end of March – and if he keeps hitting bombs like this, he’ll be in with a good chance.

The Scot, currently ranked 67th, knows that getting into the top-50 by then will earn him an invitation from Augusta National to play in next month’s Masters Tournament.

A good week in the Qatar Masters will go some way towards helping him get there. He’s off to a good start, too, opening his title tilt with a three-under 68. 

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However, it’s not his score so much as a tee shot early in his round that has got people talking.

Stepping onto the tee of the 593-yard par-15th – his sixth hole of the day after starting on the tenth – MacIntyre was already going along nicely at two-under-par, when he unleashed this monster drive.

Check it out…

How far, we hear you ask? Oh, just 409 yards! FOUR-HUNDRED AND NINE!

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Now, yes, it got a generous bounce off the cart path – but still, 409 yards isn’t to be sniffed at and is comfortably more than MacIntyre’s driving distance average for the season to date (305.9).

The European Tour doesn’t publish a list of the longest drives recorded. The PGA Tour does, however. The current longest drive recorded on the world’s richest circuit so far this year is a 449-yard howitzer launched by Justin Thomas on the second hole in the final round of the WGC-Mexico Championship.


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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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