THE 153RD OPEN

July 19, 2025

Robert MacIntyre

Mixed Zone

Q. How are you feeling after that?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: I was a bit disappointed. I wasn't as sharp as I've been the past couple days. Move forward.

Q. You made that great on 11, and 12 seemed to be the turning point, three-putted 12.

ROBERT MacINTYRE: Yeah, perfect tee shot between clubs, had the longer one thinking it was the right move, and just left one out there, 50-odd footer. Again, the way you're putting off the greens, I misread it a little bit, stays halfway up the slope. Just throws off the momentum. You feel like you're actually gaining, and then yeah, it was just a day that was so-so.

Q. I've asked you a number of times, but you've got an ability to keep your head on it. Concerning the 14th, what are you thinking? You're getting really angry, but you managed to keep your head in it. Tell us how you just switch yourself back on?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: I think it's fair game to lose the plot every now and again. I feel like we've made the wrong decision off the tee on 14, which then made the second shot on 14 really difficult as a left-handed golfer. Just try to hold that wind. Obviously in that bunker, bunker's dead, first job get out of the bunker, then hit it over the top. I've lost the plot on both of them, after both of them shots, a bit of anger came out.

Then when I'm hitting that putt, I've got a clear head, got a job to do, get this thing up-and-down. I find it easy just now. I find it easier in the bigger golf tournaments, the ones where birdies aren't happening all the time, when you can actually feel as though you can -- good golf gets rewarded.

The tougher the test, the more I feel I can keep that discipline. The more there's a birdie fest and a shootout, that's when I lose it properly.

Q. You've spoken before of Scheffler. When you see his name at the top of the leaderboard, what are you thinking? You're concentrating on your own game, but how daunting is that to see him doing what he's doing?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: He's by far the best player in the world. I remember the start of this year, asked Mike with the stats guy, asked Mike to look at all the stats to see how close we are to No. 1 in the world. Mike stopped after a couple of stats checked and he went to No. 2 because he realised it.

I mean, when we checked the stats, Scheffler was further ahead of No. 2 in the world than I was at wherever I was, 15, 16 in the world, to No. 2. Yeah, he's an exceptional player, great guy. Yeah, works so hard.

Q. Still in there coming into Sunday. Even if you don't get your hands on the trophy, it can still be a huge week for you?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: That's all. When I went home last night when I left here yesterday, I thought beautiful links golf working its magic, and I'm sitting on my couch almost in tears because I'm watching flags are limp, guys are spinning it on greens.

I thought walking away from here last night that I wouldn't be more than three shots back, ended up five shots back from the best player in the world, and it feels like, yes, you can still be in it if something happens, but you just feel that little bit too far back.

I don't know if that had an effect on me what I felt. I was having to push a little bit more, and a couple of mistakes came in early on. Now tomorrow is go out there and finish as high as we can, get as many World Ranking and Ryder Cup points as we can.

Q. That will always be you, won't it? You'll always push on and try to win it. If you come in 20th at the end, you'll try to win it first.

ROBERT MacINTYRE: Unless I get off to a hot, hot start, it's probably out the window. If we don't get off to a hot start, it's going to be how high can we finish here. Unless I do have a hot start and I see myself close to the lead and within a few shots, then we'll throw at it. But seeing the leaderboard, it's just jogging for position.

Q. Do you have any update on the shinty final?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: I don't. I think it was going well at the start. Celebration for them at home.