Oban golfer’s brilliant show in Turkey
Magnificent 10-under-par round
Another brilliant performance from Oban’s Bob MacIntyre at the weekend saw him just miss out on a maiden European Tour victory.
Playing in the Turkish Airlines Open in Belek, Bob finished 18 under par, two shots behind eventual winner Tyrell Hatton, who prevailed after a six-man play-off.
Bob’s performance was underpinned by a stunning bogey-free second round 63 on Friday. He backed that up on Saturday with a 67 that owed a great deal to patience and a sparkling back nine. That left Bob going into Sunday three shots behind leader Mathias Schwab of Austria.
Playing in the penultimate group alongside former Masters winner Patrick Reed, Bob got off to a perfect start with two birdies in the first three holes to close within a shot of the lead.
The fourth hole was to prove his undoing. While the other contenders were making birdies or eagles at the reachable par five, Bob’s approach fell short and found water. His eventual bogey six felt like two dropped shots and was followed by another bogey at seven.
A spirited rally saw Bob produce three birdies in the closing 11 holes to finish with a three-under-par 69 and leave him in joint seventh place, banking a cheque for almost 150,000 euros.
Bob’s performance in Turkey also means he jumps another 10 places in the rankings and now stands at number 73 in the world – a stunning achievement in his first year on tour.
Bob will have little time to reflect on another outstanding performance as he now heads off to South Africa for the Nedbank challenge starting today, Thursday November 14. He concludes his season the following week in the final event of the year in Dubai. Strong finishes in both tournaments could see him break into the world’s top 50 as well as earn him the Rookie of the Year title.