McIlroy’s bid to retain Scottish Open falls short

Rory McIlroy’s bid to win the Genesis Scottish Open for a second successive year fell short as home favourite Robert MacIntyre took full advantage of an extraordinary stroke of luck to claim victory.

MacIntyre, who was denied the title 12 months ago by McIlroy’s stunning finish, produced one of his own after trailing Adam Scott by two shots with three to play in a rollercoaster final round at the Renaissance Club.

FINAL LEADERBOARD

The left-hander made an eagle on the par-five 16th following a brilliant approach shot, albeit only after a free drop from knee-high rough after discovering a sprinkler head near his ball.

That took MacIntyre alongside Scott on 17-under par and, to the delight of a raucous home crowd, he holed from 20 feet for birdie on the 18th to complete a remarkable triumph.

McIlroy looked set to make a serious charge with birdies at the third and fifth to move to two-under, but dropped shots at the seventh and ninth derailed his challenge.

The defending champion picked up two more birdies on the back nine on his way to a 68 to finish on a two-under par round of 68 and a tie for fourth, four shots behind the winner.

Seamus Power also closed with a 68 to finish on three-under par and a tie for 65th.

MacIntyre began the day two shots behind Ryder Cup team-mate Ludvig Aberg and his challenge looked to have fizzled out as he covered his first 13 holes in one over par.

A long birdie putt across the 14th green saw MacIntyre close the gap to Scott to a single shot before the Australian doubled his lead thanks to a birdie on the 16th.

The former world number one looked a certain winner at this point, especially with MacIntyre driving into heavy rough on the par-five 16th, but after taking a practice swing MacIntyre discovered a sprinkler near his ball.

The Ryder Cup star was therefore allowed a free drop and took full advantage, hitting a stunning approach from 247 yards to six feet and calmly rolling in the eagle putt before sealing the win with a birdie on the last.

Scott had set the target after a closing 67, the 43-year-old – who turns 44 on Tuesday – carding seven birdies, a double bogey and two bogeys as he looked set to win his first title since the Genesis Invitational in February 2020.