Robert MacIntyre narrowly wins Canadian Open for first PGA Tour title
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Robert MacIntyre with his father Dougie, who filled in as his caddie for the Canadian Open.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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HAMILTON – Robert MacIntyre’s first victory on the PGA Tour will be memorable for countless reasons.
His father was there every step of the way in the Canadian Open as a fill-in caddie.
“That’s the guy that taught me the game of golf,” MacIntyre said. “He was trying to tell me to stay focused, swing smooth.”
They could celebrate together after the Scottish golfer shot two-under 68 on June 2 for a one-stroke tournament victory at Hamilton Golf & Country Club in Ontario.
MacIntyre, a left-hander who earned his PGA Tour card via the DP World Tour Race to Dubai rankings, finished at 16-under 264. That was one stroke better than Ben Griffin, who shot a bogey-free 65.
Dougie MacIntyre did his part as the caddie.
“I’m speechless,” the younger MacIntyre said. “That’s everything for me and my family. To have him on the bag, I’m crying with joy, but I’m laughing because I didn’t think it was possible.”
Now, MacIntyre has a spot in the US Open in less than two weeks. He is full of gratitude.
“The whole support I’ve had from Scotland, (for) me and my family,” he said. “I honestly can’t believe this.”
When the 27-year-old made the turn, he held a four-stroke lead with six golfers sharing second place. But the tournament had been far from decided, not to mention MacIntyre’s apparent irritation because of noise stemming from a drone.
Griffin, who was also vying for his first PGA win, had a late rally with three straight birdies, but was unable to sink a birdie putt from the fringe on the last hole.
“I fought hard,” said the American. “It felt like there was a lid on the cup for most of the day for me. I hit so many pretty good putts.”
Griffin, who was part of a group tied for second place entering the round, had a strange day, with a birdie on the par-four third hole after his tee shot settled on the seventh fairway. He also made a birdie putt on the 16th green from nearly 40 feet.
“(MacIntyre) was kind of scrambling a lot down the stretch and I looked at it as an opportunity to kind of make a charge and it was a ton of fun and wouldn’t trade it for anything,” Griffin said. “Even though I finished second, tons of positives from this week and game feels good.”
Third-place finisher Victor Perez of France shot a bogey-free 64 for a 266 total, capped by a birdie putt on the final hole. South Korea’s Tom Kim and Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy made charges with 64s to share fourth place on 267. REUTERS
Robert MacIntyre finished at 16-under 264 after a final-round 68.
PHOTO: AFP
