Bob MacIntyre won on home soil for the second time in his career after he claimed the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, just one week on from a second Ryder Cup victory as part of Team Europe.
The Scotsman, who earned one and half points from three matches at Bethpage Black, carded a six-under-par 66 on the Old Course at St Andrews to win by four strokes from Ryder Cup teammate and defending champion Tyrrell Hatton.
After consecutive rounds of 66 at Carnoustie and Kingsbarns, the Scotsman shared the 36-hole lead with South Africa’s Richard Sterne on 12 under par with just one round at St Andrews to complete after the tournament was reduced to 54 holes due to the impact of Storm Amy on Saturday.
Birdies on the first, fourth, fifth and seventh holes gave the 29-year-old a three-stroke lead at the turn and he kept his momentum going on the back nine at the Home of Golf with three further gains. A solitary bogey, just his third dropped shot of the week, saw him sign for a third round of 66 and an 18 under par total, giving him his fourth DP World Tour title and his first since winning the Genesis Scottish Open last year.
Hatton, who won this event for a record third time last year, signed for a 65 at the Old Course as he finished in second place on 14 under par. Englishman John Parry also carded a 66 at St Andrews to share third place with Sterne, who shot 71 at Carnoustie.
After lifting the trophy, MacIntyre expressed surprise at his ability to maintain his energy levels after last week’s exertions. “I’ve done everything against the book this week in terms of my preparation. I only pitched up Wednesday afternoon and played 11 practice holes, and my diet has been terrible – I’ve eaten plenty of takeaways, fish and chips. But any time you can win a golf tournament on these shores is special, and I’m just delighted the way I did it. I played really nicely over the three days, and here we are. It’s brilliant. I don’t know how we’re going to celebrate after the celebrations we had last Sunday!”
The Team Competition was won by Australia’s Harrison Crowe and his amateur partner Cian Foley of Ireland. The pair reached a total of 33 under par, with their highlight being a 14 under par round of 58 at the Old Course on Friday. Foley is the son-in-law of JP McManus, who is a two-time winner of the team event.