Strap yourselves in, folks. The Robert MacIntyre roller coaster is ready for a few more twists, turns, birls and twirls over the weekend at the Genesis Scottish Open.
“It has been a special ride and, hopefully, I can do some more special things,” said the Scot of his record at the Renaissance which features an epic win in 2024 and a heroic near miss the previous year.
Here in 2026, Scotland’s standard bearer on the global stage is giving his fans their money’s worth again. He’ll be doing candy floss and hook the duck next. All the fun of the fair, eh?
On a fascinating leaderboard, that’s as congested as the Sheriffhall roundabout on the Edinburgh City Bypass, MacIntyre is handily placed heading into the weekend. That roonaboot could be a bit busier today as all golfing roads lead to the Renaissance.
While Rory McIlroy, Tom Kim and Jordan Smith share the halfway lead on nine-under aggregates, MacIntyre is lurking just two shots off the pace in a share of seventh after a 66 left him on a seven-under tally.
The 29-year-old took a while to get going, mind you. As his playing partners, McIlroy and the defending champion, Chris Gotterup, conjured eight birdies between them over the first eight holes of round two, MacIntyre took until the ninth hole to register his first gain of the day.
Golf is a marathon not a sprint, though. Buoyed by the support from the sidelines, MacIntyre got shifting through the gears on the inward half and picked up four birdies in five holes from the 13th – we’ll forget about the bogey on 16 – to barge his way up the order.
His raking birdie putt from 30-feet for a two on the 15th was just about puffed into the hole by the collective will of the entire population of East Lothian.
“I was actually a little bit worried about putting it off the other side of the green,” admitted MacIntyre, who also made a two on the 17th to give the evening galleries plenty to roar about.
“I thought it was a fraction short, but I was glad that everyone helped blow it in.
“It’s brilliant the support I had out there. Thankfully, I made two nice twos late on when the stands were full.”
If MacIntyre keeps his assault going, the Renaissance club’s American owners may have to order some extra bleachers for the punters.
McIlroy, the Scottish Open champion in 2023 and a joint runner-up last year, continued to prosper in this neck of the woods as he fired a 66 to bolster his title tilt.
After initial reservations about Tom Doak’s modern links – golfers are impossible to please – McIlroy is a combined 51-under-par for his last 14 rounds here.
He’s in the hunt again at this happy hunting ground. He’s also happy that MacIntyre is in the hunt too. “A great weekend,” McIlroy said as he looked forward to a lively couple of days.
“Bob, on the back nine, getting himself into contention for the home contingent. Yeah, excited for the opportunity.”
McIlroy marched to the turn in 31 but had to settle for a level-par inward half as his surge was tempered.
“The wind definitely got up for us in the afternoon,” the reigning Masters champion said.
“We got off to a really nice start, but, by the turn, the wind had got to its strongest and I felt like it was hard to get the ball close to the pins.
“It would have been nice to be a couple better. But it's another good day and I’m in a good position.”
Among the earlier starters was co-leader Smith and he made the most of the relatively calm conditions with a fine 63 which propelled him into the clubhouse lead.
The 33-year-old, a double winner on the DP World Tour and now competing over on the PGA Tour, has enjoyed a decent break ahead of two big weeks and the rest has paid off.
“Having those three weeks off, putting the clubs away for a week, relaxing and coming back, I feel sort of re-energised,” he said after an eight-birdie round.
Some of us crude hackers should probably put the clubs away for a year and see what it does?
Kim, meanwhile, has an affinity for this joint. The Korean finished third in the Scottish Open at the Renaissance on his debut in 2022 and that result acted as a springboard for a leap to global prominence.
He was in fine fettle yesterday as he posted a 66 that was illuminated by a mighty eagle putt on the seventh.
As well as his good record in the Scottish Open, Kim finished joined second in the ultimate links test of The Open in 2023. “I don't know what it is about it,” he said of this fondness for links golf.
“Hopefully I can continue that run.”
Kim, McIlroy and Smith sit a shot ahead of Matt Fitzpatrick and Min Woo Lee.
Fitzpatrick lost to Lee in a play-off in the 2021 Scottish Open and the upwardly mobile Englishman, aided by five birdies in a row en route to a 65, is back in the reckoning again as he seeks a fourth win of the year.
“This stretch, from February, March onwards to now, it's definitely the best golf I've played in my career for sure,” said the Sheffield man as he looks to keep the good times going.
Despite a bogey on the last in a 65, Gotterup continues to make a stout defence of his title. The American, who has won three times on the PGA Tour this season, is just two shots back on seven-under.
“I think I've done a good job lately of just hanging around,” said Gotterup after moving into a menacing position. “And I'm in a good spot to kind of just lurk.”
The weekend is the time to pounce. A few could do that.
