Robert MacIntyre experienced plenty highs and lows during the course of his first round at the 150th Open Championship.
Having moved four-under-par shortly after the turn, the Oban golfer found difficulty in the latter stages of his round before reviving himself to salvage a two-under-par 70.
His round came against the backdrop of one of his playing partners – Cameron Young – producing an excellent display to grab the clubhouse lead on eight-under-par.
We look back on MacIntyre’s rollercoaster opening round, which included early morning goosebumps, some terrifically creative play – as well as a troublesome 13th hole.
Third hole
MacIntyre started his round strongly, appearing to take a huge lift from the warm reception he received on the first tee.
He spoke prior to the tournament at feeling “goosebumps” about the prospect of playing his first Open Championship on Scottish soil, but the adulation of the home crowd would follow him all day.
After shooting level par four at the first, MacIntyre took little time to record his first birdie of the day at the second.
This was quickly followed up by another birdie at three, as he neatly executed an up and down after his tee shot gave him an angle to the left of the green.
It was a very encouraging sign that MacIntyre – who endured severe disappointment at last week’s Genesis Scottish Open – was firmly in the right mindframe at St Andrews.
MacIntyre missed an opportunity to cut his lead further at the fifth, when he three-putted at the par five hole.
Another three-putt followed at the subsequent sixth hole, however, which this time resulted in his score dropping to one-under-par. At this point, the first noticeable show of frustration was evident from MacIntyre.
12th hole
He quickly regained his two-under-par score prior to the cut, before an excellent putt at 10 put him three under for the first time in the day. This looked like being a fateful moment for MacIntyre, who teed up at 11 in direct view of an electronic leaderboard, which now displayed his name for the first time in the day.
After holding par at the par three 11th, he went on to further extend his lead at the following hole. MacIntyre drove beyond the green, but made light work of getting out of the rough he found himself in.
He expertly took advantage of the birdie opportunity to move four-under for the day, at which point he looked to be putting himself firmly in contention to be among the leading scorers of the opening round.
13th hole
It proved to be a short-lived euphoria for MacIntyre and his followers, as the troubles which tormented his back nine unravelled in spectacular fashion with a double bogey six at the 13th.
After finding a bunker down the left from the tee, MacIntyre was left with little option but to sacrifice any distance gain to get himself back on the fairway.
He found the green with his third shot, but another three putt made this an instantly forgettable hole for MacIntyre – who made it a priority to map out a gameplan for tackling it in his second round when he spoke to the media afterwards.
17th hole
The wind continued to cause problems for MacIntyre who continued to drive left at the next three holes, but he recovered on each occasion to avoid dropping any further shots.
That changed at 17, however, when he missed a four-foot putt before recording what looked like being a costly bogey, taking him back to one-over-par.
18th hole
With only one hole left to secure salvation, MacIntyre had one final throw of the dice at the famous 18th.
An outstanding drive found the green to set up an eagle opportunity, which was narrowly missed, but he steadied himself to record a final birdie which saw him end with a two-under-par 70, giving him a tangible platform to build on come Friday.
Conversation