Robert MacIntyre has come under fire for smashing his driver at the tee box during a frustrating final day at The Open.
MacIntyre was once among the contenders to lift the Claret Jug, but he fell back with a one-over 71 on Sunday.
And his disappointment reached a climax at the start of the par-four 16th, with the frustrated Scot taking his anger out on his club.
MacIntyre’s behaviour at The Open comes despite the major events aiming to stamp out misconduct on the course, which certainly includes club smashing.
He has now been criticised for his actions at Royal Birkdale, with many golf fans left disappointed by the 29-year-old, who has plenty of history in this area.
Robert MacIntyre receives heavy criticism for club smash at The Open
Sharing their disappointment with MacIntyre, one fan wrote on X: “Should be a penalty. Club slam or throw, should be a two-shot penalty. They need to get that out of the game, golf is a gentleman’s sport and this behaviour contradicts that.”
A second agreed, saying: “As a Scotsman I of course like him, but he’s talked for a while about how his mentality and losing his head on the course is costing him any chance at tournaments, yet he clearly makes no effort to change it. So bizarre.”
Others concurred, noting: “Totally unethical and disgusting,” “Unbecoming of a Scotsman,” and “The absolute worst.”
And when it was suggested that it was the second time he had committed such an offence on Sunday, one fan wrote: “Yup took a chunk out of a bunker earlier. Malcontent Bob at it again.”
Robert MacIntyre handed misconduct warning on day four of The Open
It certainly wasn’t a good look for the Scot, who also came under fire for similar outbursts at The Masters earlier this year.
There were even calls to disqualify MacIntyre from The Masters because of his behaviour, which he admitted afterwards isn’t going to change.
But it will likely need to change given that players are now coming under much closer scrutiny on the course.
That said, he was only given a warning by the R&A, with Jon Rahm’s club throw earlier in the tournament also deemed not worthy of a penalty.
Penalties aside, MacIntyre should be eager to manage his anger on the course better if he wants to claim a major win and improve upon his two PGA Tour victories.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
