THE 154TH OPEN

July 17, 2026

Robert MacIntyre

Mixed Zone

Q. Thoughts on the day? Obviously high at 17 and a little disappointing at the finish there?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: I think it was a great round of golf. Yeah, I don't have any other words. It was a great, great round of golf.

Q. (Indiscernible). What did you think at that point?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: I've talked about patience and discipline, and the shot was hit in the heart of the green. I was kind of being a bit aggressive, trying to get it in tight to that back right pin, knowing that just long was okay, but it ran that couple yards further on into the rough.

Then the chip, when you're landing it into these slopes, the runoffs are so long, that's why you'll see a lot of guys using 5-irons, me rescue woods, because you need to get the ball running and with speed because it's just bouncing. It's like grain.

The minute I had it where it was, I thought, no, I've got to land this into that bank. You're too scared to hit it too hard in case it goes 15, 20 feet high. It was running hot there, but it was about getting back in the game.

Again, like a nice okay shot into the par-3 misses on the left side, get that up-and-down, and then just staying disciplined, hit a short club off the par, the drivable par-4 and a wedge. It's just patience. 1-under par is okay out here.

Q. You constantly kept yourself talking. Are you talking to yourself?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: I mean, I'm not nice to myself. I'll be honest, I'm not nice to myself. That's just the standard I set. When I make a mistake, it's one of them ones like we just switched off, I felt like for a couple of holes we switched off.

I had it in -- you're not really getting fliers out of this rough because it's not green, it's not lush. So when you're hitting it, it's kind of breaking up on you. I feel it when I'm picking the stuff up to throw the grass up, you've hardly got any of it in your hand. It's just like dust.

When you go into that stuff, you're not really getting fliers. I think it was 6, it was just a fraction of green. First thing I said, this is going to fly, and I didn't trust it.

I've played it to come out normal with lots of spin, and it's come out flying. It's long left, but it's an okay mess. That was when I really had to reset what I was doing. We really had to switch on, to be honest, because it was getting -- it got out of hand.

Q. That 18th hole, Bob, has been a talking point for guys. Your comments about it were caught on the broadcast, but just as a player --

ROBERT MacINTYRE: Great hole. Great hole.

Q. What are you seeing, and what does make it not really your favourite?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: It's bunkers. That's all you're seeing, bunkers everywhere. Thick rough off the left. It's a great hole.

Q. You're one of the only guys, maybe the only guy, who seems to like to work driver both ways. How did that come to be? Have you always been like that?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: Playing in this. When it gets firm and fast, you've got to -- like down 18, I'm standing on that tee, and I could hit literally seven clubs off the tee depending on flight. I decide on the 4-iron. But with the 4-iron, if I hit the 4-iron flat, it will get in the bunker at 280. So we decided, right, we've got to hit a high, soft 4-iron.

It's the same like off of 10, the driver off of 10. I think everyone's like what's he doing here? But I've hit a high fade to hold the wind to keep it short of a 280 bunker.

It's just, look, I know lots of people are getting taught to be one-dimensional with a driver, one shot shape, but I feel like once the wind gets a certain strength, fairways become a certain width, you will not -- with the wind going with your shape, you will not hit the fairway. That's why I do it.

I like to -- I've got a lot of spin on my clubs now, especially driver now just for the sheer fact that, when you have to turn one into the wind, you need sufficient spin to keep it in the sky.

So, yeah, I just like to maneuver it. It's how I've grown up. I've grown up at Glencruitten when it's up over hills, short, but you've got to maneuver the golf ball. I still try and play that way as much as I can.

Q. Everyone is going to need breaks on a course like this. You got one at 17. How nice was it to take that for the eagle?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: Yeah, it was lovely. I don't know what I done. I think I was actually trying to hit it straight out of the bunker on the left side just over the hump and then almost deal with it from there. You miss it on the right, you're in trouble, or you're making par.

So I think I got lucky. I think it's landed up the left, bounced round the bunker and then come on that way. The putt was going like a steam train, but it was dead center. So it was a nice one to get a cushion going up the last.

Q. How much are you looking forward to the weekend with the spot you're in?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: Yeah, great spot. Can't really be in a better spot going into the weekend. It's where I want to be, especially after last week with the game.

I feel like the game's in a good spot. I'm missing it in the right spots, the short game sharp, putting's decent. Just maybe hit a few more greens when it's like this and make life a little bit easier.