Macintyre’s 66 as seven Scots reach final

Left-hander robert mac in ty re produced one of the outstanding rounds of the day as seven Scots progressed to the final of the European Tour Qualifying School at three of the second-stage events to finish on schedule.

Adding to an encouraging spell for Scottish golf in recent weeks, Macintyre’s fellow rookie pro Connor Syme also passed the difficult test with flying colours, as did another exciting young prospect in Ewen Ferguson.

Add in more experienced players in Scott Henry, David Law, Ross Kellett and Chris Doak also progressing and it’s a strong tartan contingent heading to the final stage, which starts at Tarragona Golf on Saturday.

Macintyre, 21, who won on the MENA Tour in Kuwait in just his second start in the paid ranks, made it through at Desert Springs after signing off with a stunning six-underpar 66 for a 279 total.

The bogey-free effort catapulted the Glencruitten player into a tie for 13th, finishing alongside Henry (70) as the duo were among 22 golfers to progress from that venue, where Englishman Matthew Baldwin topped the leaderboard on 17-under-par.

Out of 17 Scottish hopefuls, Ferguson, another 21-year-old, produced the best overall performance as he finished second by the experienced Argentinean Ricardo Gonzalez at El Saler, where Kellett also progressed after a strong last-day performance.

As Gonzalez, a former Johnnie Walker Championship runner-up, closed with a 69 to claim victory on 13-under, Ferguson finished three shots back in second-placed following a 75, tying with Englishman Laurie Canter. Kellett, who gets better with every passing season in the pro ranks, closed with a 71 to finish joint-sixth on three-under.

Double Scottish Amateur champion Law finished finished joint third at Las Colinas, carding a last-round 68 for a 15-under-par total, two shots behind South African Jacques Kruyswijk.

Syme, 22, maintained an encouraging start to his pro career at the same venue by also progressing comfortably in joint tenth on nine under after a closing 69 while former Tartan Tour No 1 Doak made it a triple tartan success at Las Colinas as he signed off with the same score for a sevenunder aggregate.