Robert MacIntyre is looking to reclaim his Scottish Open title this week.
The Scotsman won his home open in spectacular fashion in 2024. The year before, he came heartbreakingly close, finishing second to Rory McIlroy. He returned the following year on a mission and beat Adam Scott by one stroke to win his home country’s national open.
But if MacIntyre were to win this week at The Renaissance Club, he would hope to do it in a less controversial fashion than he did two years ago.
Robert MacIntyre benefited from a controversial ruling during Scottish Open win
MacIntyre benefited from an incredibly lucky ruling down the stretch in his 2024 Scottish Open win. On the par-five 16th hole, MacIntyre’s shot landed in the thick heather, leaving him with an impossible shot. But he was bailed out by the rules official.
When he was sizing up his shot, he realized that he was standing on a buried sprinkler head. He called the rules official over, and was awarded a free drop.
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This allowed him to move the ball out of the devastatingly thick fescue into a much cleaner, fluffier lie. MacIntyre hit an incredible 250-yard approach shot from his new lie and sank the putt for an eagle.
MacIntyre was trailing Scott going into that hole, but his eagle tied him with the Australian, and he birdied the 18th to win the title.
Without this ruling, he’d have had basically no chance of winning the tournament.
Robert MacIntyre defends a controversial ruling at the Scottish Open
This ruling caused a stir among golf fans, who felt that MacIntyre wasn’t being disadvantaged by standing on a sprinkler head, and shouldn’t have gotten a drop in the heather.
When questioned about the ruling after the round, MacIntyre defended the decision. He told NBC Sports: “As I took a step back, obviously, there was no high rough where it would tangle the club.
“So I could take the practice swing, like a foot, foot and a half from the ball, and just a step back. I just heard the clunk; I’ve got spikes on the front three of my shoes, not on my shoe as spikes, but just the front three studs as metal spikes, and I was like, no way. I’ve got a sprinkler underneath my foot. Obviously, the plastic spikes at the back, you don’t feel it.
“And I said to [caddie] Mike … ‘When I get up to the golf ball, am I standing on that sprinkler?’ And he’s laughing at me going, ‘yeah, yeah.’ It was just a lucky break. You use the rules to get an advantage. You stand on a sprinkler, you’re due relief. That was just the one kiss I needed.”
Does the rule seem unfair? Absolutely. But it’s not MacIntyre’s fault for taking advantage of them. It was smart from the Scotsman, and it was a well-earned win.
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