The Scottish pro heads to St. John’s most famous hole. Andrews: ‘Blow it up’

Robert MacIntyre may hold the honor of Scotland’s favorite golfing son right now, but that status may have taken a hit this week.

The 28-year-old from Oban had a breakout rookie season on the PGA Tour, winning the RBC Canadian Open and he later became the first Scot to win his open cap since 1999.

MacIntyre returned to his homeland this week for the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on the DP World Tour, played in Scotland’s most famous course, The old course at St. Andrews.

But after his final round of 70 Sunday, MacIntyre had had enough of the Old Course’s most famous hole.

“Blow it out,” MacIntyre told him Scotsman the famous St. Andrews “Road Hole” par-4 17. “I don’t think there are many worse holes in world golf.

“I think it’s a terrible hole from the back. It doesn’t need to be modernized, to bring excitement, it needs to be a hole you can hit a golf shot on and not a hole where you just hit it on the green and try to get up and down.”

“hole in the road”, which was extended to 495 yards prior to the 2010 Open Championship and requires a blind tee shot over portions of the Old Course Hotel, played as the strongest hole so far this week at Dunhill. Through the four rounds (which saw the entire field play it at least once), he averaged 4.57 strokes and gave up just seven birdies, none of which came in the final round.

By contrast, that week’s next-toughest hole, the 18th in the early round at co-hosts Carnoustie, played almost three-tenths of a stroke easier in 4.31.

MacIntyre, who missed the green left both times he played this week, made double on Saturday after playing his third shot into the fairway hole’s bunker. He bogeyed Sunday after hitting the second par on 18 and missing a 15-footer.

“It almost plays like a par 5,” MacIntyre continued Scotland. “They try to do things on this golf course that don’t need to be done. Today I hit a drive off the tee and then a 4 iron and I was the furthest to the hole.”

His 70 in Round 4 moved him to 14 under for the week, which was good for a tie for 25th. Tyrrell Hatton won the event for the third time in his career after a course record-equaling 61 on Saturday. it Was Hatton’s first DP World Tour win after he signed with LIV Golf earlier this season.

Jack Hirsch

Editor of Golf.com

Jack Hirsh is an assistant editor at GOLF. A native of Pennsylvania, Jack is a 2020 graduate of Penn State University, earning degrees in broadcast journalism and political science. He was captain of his high school golf team and recently returned to the program to serve as head coach. Jack also *tries* to remain competitive in the local amateurs. Prior to joining GOLF, Jack spent two years working at a television station in Bend, Oregon, primarily as a multimedia journalist/reporter, but also producing, anchoring and even presenting the weather. He can be reached at jack.hirsh@golf.com.