ROBERT KNOCK KNOCKS IT OFF
Runner-up slot earns Robert Tour card boost and a bumper pay-day
ROBERT MacINTYRE’S stunning second-placed finish in the British Masters has all but clinched his European Tour card for next season.
The Oban 22-year-old muscled himself into a four-way tie for second after finishing eagle, birdie in a round of 68 and a 15 under par total at Hillside.
That earned him £225,000 as he finished alongside Eddie Pepperell and overnight leader Matt Wallace, one shot behind Swede Marcus Kinhult.
MacIntyre, who is now 36th in the Race to Dubai, revealed crazy games with his brothers kept him calm on the course.
He said: “I had my family down for the week, including my young brothers Tom and Dan, and they have helped keep me on my toes.
“Last night I wasn’t even thinking about winning a golf tournament but before we went to bed, we’re having a game of ‘knock, knock’.
“Then as I am standing over the eagle putt on 17, I was closing my eyes and thinking ‘knock, knock’. It helps with everything.”
MacIntyre has promised to buy a new kitchen for his mother with his winnings.
He said: “I said to my mum that she could order a new kitchen but she’s not done that yet.
“I’m sure she’ll be in with both feet now and the price had probably just doubled. But she can get what she wants.” MacIntyre headed into the last day three shots off the lead and looked to have killed off any chance of victory with a double bogey at the second hole.
He posted birdies at four, 10 and 15 ahead of holing a 10-footer for his eagle on the 17th. He also birdied the last to tie Pepperell and Wallace but Kinhult also birdied the hole to win.
MacIntyre said: “The double bogey at the second helped me in a way as it settled me down.
“It made me think, ‘you are almost out of it so just go on and play your own golf ’.
“My caddie Greg Milne said to me as we were walking off the green that there were loads of birdies out there. My coach Davy Burns had also said before I went out that it didn’t matter how far I was into the round because there were birdies around every corner.
“To finish that way was fantastic. I had to go for it in the end, it was all or nothing. We were between clubs at 17 but that wind suited us. That’s the best shot I’ve hit in a long time.
“I had been there or thereabouts but never managed to get in the thick of it and I was disappointed about that. Today couldn’t have been a better day to change that, playing with Tommy Fleetwood and in front of those big crowds.
“It was really good playing in front of those crowds, it was brilliant.” Richie Ramsay fell out of contention after dropping three shots in the first four holes. His round of 72 saw him finish fifth on 12-under.
Fellow Scots Connor Syme (71) and Liam Johnston (74) were just outside the top 40 on four-under. Scott Jamieson (74) finished two shots further back.