The magical MacIntyre scores a famous victory at the Genesis Scottish Open

Well, has your jaw dropped off the floor yet? In a rather breathtaking final of the Genesis Scottish Open at the Renaissance last night, Robert MacIntyre became the first Scot in 25 years to win the national showpiece. Now you can breathe a sigh of relief.

Sir Alex Ferguson uttered the words: “Golf… bloody hell.” A year after being outdone on the final green by Rory McIlroy’s thunderous blitz, MacIntyre produced a finish like only the stands promise to beat the brave Adam Scott by a single stroke on 18 under par and fulfill his destiny.

It was another magical moment in a young career that is still full of such moments.

As the clock ticked towards 8 p.m. – those annoying broadcast times on US television are a real nuisance – the national anthems for the final of the 2024 European Championship in Germany were just about to be ticked off.

However, MacIntyre’s 20-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole for a 67 ensured that Scottish football was in renaissance mode. No Scotland, no party? The party could begin.

“I think I lost my voice after that scream at that hole,” beamed MacIntyre, who screamed himself hoarse amid emotional, hilarious scenes that will long be remembered.

“I’m going to celebrate,” added the reigning Canadian Open champion, who became the second Scot to win on the tour in a week after Ewen Ferguson’s victory in Germany last Sunday. “We’ll compete in the Open when we compete in the Open.”

MacIntyre is scheduled to hold a pre-Open press conference at Royal Troon’s media centre today. They will have to do it from his bed. “There’s no way I’m going to be there at 3pm,” he chuckled.

You need a little luck in this game. And, my goodness, MacIntyre, who holed a 40-foot birdie putt on the 14th hole to give himself hope, got a big chunk of it just as things seemed to be heading toward an anticlimax.

On a turbulent afternoon with changing odds at the top of the action, the left-hander from Oban’s misguided drive on the par-5 16th hole found itself stuck in the knee-high hay on the right side of the fairway. That didn’t look good.

However, in an extraordinarily lucky coincidence, MacIntyre spotted a sprinkler head in the undergrowth after a practice swing and, after much wrangling, was awarded a free drop. He will probably have to donate half of his £1.2 million first prize to the golf gods.

“Look, I got a little lucky on 16,” he said. “I’m yelling and cursing when I get to the ball because I know that’s my chance to really make a birdie. I came over the ball, looked at it and thought, ‘I’m in trouble here, maybe I can hit it 100 yards.’

“I couldn’t believe it when I heard a spring under my foot where my spike was and I just thought ‘this is impossible’. It was overcast. I was lucky. That’s how it was meant to be.”

From a distance of 220 metres, the Scot hit his 6-iron shot to just under two metres, creating the most unlikely eagle opportunity.

MacIntyre grabbed the ball with absolute aplomb and sank the subsequent putt. Rory McIlroy received a plaque on the 18th hole at the Renaissance Club to commemorate his 2-iron approach to the final green last year.

Presumably a marble statue will be erected on the 16th hole to commemorate MacIntyre’s miraculous shot?

That eagle put him in a shared lead with Scott, who was playing ahead of him in the match. Suddenly the title was back in sight and a battle that had seemed to be fading away was reignited.

Up front, Scott, the former Masters champion seeking his first Tour win since 2020, set the clubhouse target with a 67 for 17 under par.

The Australian could only sit in the recording booth, twiddling his thumbs and waiting to see what MacIntyre would do last. He wasn’t the only one sitting on hot coals.

The tartan-clad spectators in the home stands must have been biting their nails on their calloused stumps as he delivered a drive and then slammed a wedge onto the green.

Unlike last year, when MacIntyre had to watch helplessly what McIlroy would do, he had his fate in his own hands.

He seized the moment with great composure and his ball seemed to find its way into the hole through the collective will of East Lothian. It was a joyous moment.

“I actually had tears in my eyes before I hit the putt,” MacIntyre admitted as he reflected on the significance of the occasion.

“I had to go to Mike (his caddy) to get some water and try to restart. But I got emotional and had to say, ‘You still have a job to do here.'”

But it was a good job. MacIntyre had been two laps behind the night’s leader, Ludvig Aberg, on the last day, but the final lap was rather hesitant. Then things really took off on the home straight.

“I told Mike when we scored 10, ’16 or 17 could win,'” said MacIntyre, once again demonstrating his never-give-up attitude. “Nobody could get away. Nobody did anything.

“The only thing I can do is give 110 percent and that’s what I did. I took the only chance I had on the 18th and this is just my week.”

Scott was in second place, fast-finishing Frenchman Romain Langasque took third place with a 64, while Aberg slipped back to shared fourth place after a 73.

But it was all about MacIntyre. Next stop: The Open. “How do I get down there?” he said. “I don’t think so. I’m just going to try and ride the wave to The Open.”

We’ll see him there. Whenever that will be?