Patient Bob MacIntyre handily-placed in US Open as Grant Forrest fades after bright start
Oban man rewarded once again for showing patience as he picks up two late birdies at Pinehurst
It hadn’t produced a birdie in 13 holes, but, with two eventually coming, it was probably one of Bob MacIntyre’s most-impressive major rounds in terms of patience, a quality he’s added to his armoury and is starting to be just as important as any of the clubs in his bag.
Rounds in the US Open can easily get away from players, as Grant Forrest, making his debut in the event, discovered in the opening round in the 124th edition at Pinehurst, where a stiffed approach early on put his name up on the leaderboard before having to settle for a seven-over-par 77.
Helped, admittedly, by having played in 11 more majors than his compatriot coming into this tournament, MacIntyre avoided the possibility of something similar happening to him by displaying his growing maturity on the golf course in North Carolina.
After starting at the tenth, the Oban man had dropped shots at both the 13th and fourth before rolling in a five-footer for his first gain of the day at the par-5 fifth. Taking on a difficult pin, the left-hander then knocked his approach at the eighth to around 14 feet to birdie that as well.
On a day when Patrick Cantlay’s morning 65 was matched in the afternoon wave by Rory McIlroy, a level-par 70 to sit joint-16th was a commendable effort from MacIntyre in his first major outing since landing a breakthrough win on the PGA Tour in the RBC Canadian Open just under a fortnight ago.
As was the case on that occasion, his short game was sharp, gaining +0.2 strokes in that department after hitting just nine greens in regulation to be ranked in the top ten at the time he finished his round. In that, he hit nine out of 14 fairways and took 27 putts for an average of 1.78, which was below the field average.
The pleasing effort came on the back of the Ryder Cup player signing off with an eagle to to secure a share of eighth spot in last month’s PGA Championship at Valhalla and, with an early start in Friday’s second round, he’ll be looking to make the most of fresh greens to hole a few putts and be in the major mix again heading into the weekend.
McIlroy, the 2011 winner, birdied two of his last three holes, rolling in a 19-footer at the par-4 18th, to join Cantlay in the lead. It was the Northern Irishman’s first bogey-free opening round at a major for the first time since The Open in 2014, when he went on to claim the Claret Jug.
After quickly adding a second PGA Championship win, he’s been stuck on four majors since then, but, on this evidence - he hit a variety of classy shots, including a chip in at fifth and a stinger with his driver on that back nine at roughly 25 per cent of the height he’d normally hit it - it might not be too long before that drought ends.
“It’s nice to see your name at the top of the leaderboard in the US Open,” said McIlroy. “I played a controlled and solid round of golf. Nothing spectacular but I was disciplined and took my medicine. It’s about trying to keep clean scorecards in this event.”
Cantlay picked up three shots in his last five holes and was inches away at the closing one from another birdie, which would have seen him card the lowest-ever score here in this tournament. “Played pretty solid most of the way,” said the world No 9 of his day’s work. “I thought the golf course played pretty difficult. But drove it well.”
On his US Open debut, Swede Ludvig Aberg mixed six birdies with two bogeys to sign for a 66, one better than 2020 winner Bryson DeChambeau and four better than double US Open champion Brooks Koepka after he dropped three shots over the closing stretch.
“It was very nice round of golf,” said Aberg, who finished second in The Masters in April. “Not a lot to complain about. I felt like those times where I kind of got myself out of position a little bit, you just try to get back into play as easy as you can, give yourself a chance for a par. Made a couple nice putts, hit some really nice shots.”
Frenchman Matthieu Pavon was also pleased with his opening 67, which included a brace of eagles. “Yeah, that was a very good round,” said the winner of the Farmers Insurance Open earlier this year. “The golf course plays tough. You really have to manage your way around. You know you're going to make mistakes, but it's all about avoiding big numbers. I made my four best swings of the day on the par-5s and dropped two putts. It gave me a little bit of freedom today.”
Sergio Garcia’s 69 - one better than recent PGA Championship winner Xander Schauffele - was just the sixth bogey-free effort on this course in the US Open. “Very happy about the way I played, the way I managed my game throughout the whole round, and how patient I stayed all day,” said the Spaniard, who is playing in this event for the 25th consecutive year after coming off the alternate list at the start of the week.
After a shaky start, world No 1 and red-hot pre-event favourite Scottie Scheffler covered his final 12 holes in one under to sign for a 71. Even so, he’s now had back-to-back rounds over par for the first time since The Open at Royal Liverpool last summer.
After starting with a birdie, three-time winner Tiger Woods dropped five shots in seven holes around the turn as he had to settle for a 74. “Well, I didn't hit my irons particularly well. Didn't putt that great. Drove it on the string all day. Unfortunately I just didn't capitalise on it,” reported Woods of his first round in the event since 2020.
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