Robert MacIntyre enjoyed a hot start to his Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.
He opened his account with a three-under 67, putting him among the leading pack after his first round.
The Scot is trending nicely, having put himself in contention at last week’s Scottish Open, and now he eyes the Claret Jug to become Scotland’s first major winner since Paul Lawrie won The Open at Carnoustie in 1999.
But despite his solid showing, MacIntyre wasn’t entirely happy with Royal Birkdale, the host of this year’s Open.
Robert MacIntyre complains about Royal Birkdale’s 18th hole
MacIntyre posted a score of 67, but that looked in serious doubt after his approach shot on the 18th.
He fired his second shot into the stands around the 18th green, before proclaiming, “Such a s–t golf hole innit?”
It was hardly the hole’s fault that MacIntyre wildly missed the green, and he’s getting into the habit of making complaints about major championship venues this year.
He flipped the middle finger at Augusta National on his way to a missed cut at the Open earlier in the season.
Luckily for MacIntyre, he got a good break with a bounce off the stands and got it up and down for par.
Jordan Spieth disagrees with Robert MacIntyre’s complaint about Birkdale’s 18th hole
You’d think that Jordan Spieth, who won The Open last time it was played at Royal Birkdale in 2017, wouldn’t want to see any changes made to the golf course.
But speaking before the tournament began, the three-time major winner said he was a fan of the alterations that have been made to Birkdale ahead of The Open.
In particular, he said that moving the 18th tee box back by 35 yards improved the hole. Speaking to SiriusXM Radio, Spieth said, “18th being back 35 yards and almost nowhere to hit the golf ball.
“You can hit a really nice shot and have to punch out there, so putting a driver in your hand on 18 rather than being able to hit a three-iron, mid-iron, it’s a huge change for the closing hole where you very well could see two-shot swings this year.”
Tough doesn’t necessarily mean bad, and Spieth seems to understand that better than MacIntyre in this case.
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