16 July 2023 , 15:58
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Rory McIlroy showed his class to his opponent Robert McIntyre after winning the Scottish Open.
McIlroy finished on 15-under par after his final round at the Renaissance Club on Sunday. The Northern Irishman recorded a two-under par fourth round score of 68 to secure his second win of the season.
The victory comes just a week before The Open Championship at Royal Liverpool, which will be the final major of the year. McIlroy is still trying to win his fifth major, with his last triumph coming in the 2014 PGA Championship.
Even though McIlroy won in Scotland, he was forced to work hard to claim the victory. McIntyre hit a six-under par 64 in the final round to put himself in contention to win after starting five shots adrift of the lead.
McIlroy trailed McIntyre’s score by one shot going into the 17th hole. The 34-year-old knew that he would need to be at his best to at least force a play-off, but instead he scored back-to-back birdies on the 17th and 18th holes to win the tournament by a single shot.
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After McIlroy had claimed the win, the Northern Irishman was spotted meeting up with MacIntyre taking part in his post-round media duties. McIlroy simply said “I’m sorry” to MacIntyre, as the two golfers then embraced in a friendly hug. It would have been the third event win in MacIntyre's career.
MacIntyre is also from Scotland, so winning the event would also have seen him claim victory in his home national open. The 26-year-old will now be getting ready for The Open at Royal Liverpool next week, as he bids to win his first major championship.
Rory McIlroy meets Robert MacIntyre after winning the Scottish Open (Andrew Redington/Getty Images)“I'll never forget it,” MacIntyre told . “I had to take a minute coming off 18.
“I mean, that's why I play this sport. That's why I'm in the Scottish Open, and if not The Open, the Scottish Open will be up there with the event I want to play for the rest of my life.
“It's one I've dreamed of winning since I watched at home, and I thought today coming down once I birdied 18, I thought, this might be the one.”
Cameron Smith goes into The Open as the defending champion after winning the 2022 edition of the prestigious tournament last year. The Australian finished on 20-under par and one stroke ahead of second-placed Cameron Young, while McIlroy was two shots back in third place.