Robert MacIntyre produced the best Major performance of his career at the US Open, putting himself firmly in the frame for victory with a final round of 68 at Oakmont.
That left him an interested observer in the scorer’s tent to see if JJ Spaun would make a 72nd-hole slip-up that would have seen the two battle it out in a playoff.
In the end, the Scot’s dreams of a maiden Major title were dashed when Spaun drained an incredible 64-foot putt for birdie on the par-4 18th to clinch the trophy.
However, MacIntyre’s performance has not gone unnoticed by punters, who are now backing the popular 28-year-old to go one better at next month’s Open, which comes from Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland.
Per betting odds comparison site Oddschecker, 43% of all bets placed on The Open since the action wrapped up at Oakmont have been on MacIntyre to lift the Claret Jug. As a result, his odds have dropped dramatically, from 50/1 to 25/1 since the US Open began last Thursday, with most bookmakers on the Oddschecker platform. That takes him to just outside the top 10 betting favorites.
Oddschecker spokesperson Leon Blackman said: "The support we’ve seen across the platform this morning is very impressive. In the month prior to the US Open, we’d seen only 1.9% of all bets backing MacIntyre.
“Usually, we see a spike in betting support for the winner of a tournament, but MacIntyre is bucking the trend with golf bettors keen to take advantage of his odds before they continue to shorten for a win at Portrush.”
Spaun has picked up 5% of total bets since his win, while Scottie Scheffler remains the favorite for the title and McIlroy the second favorite.
It’s not just MacIntyre’s brilliance in the US Open that makes him a compelling candidate for a Major title next month. He has also impressed at Royal Portrush in the past, finishing T6 in his maiden Major appearance when The Open was held there in 2019.
A look at MacIntyre’s recent record at European links courses suggests he has a good chance of victory, too. He won the 2024 Genesis Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club before placing T5 at the Amgen Irish Open at Royal County Down Golf Club in Northern Ireland in September.
While much of the attention will be on Rory McIlroy as he heads to his homeland for his bid to secure his first Open title since 2014, there is little doubt that MacIntyre will start the tournament as one to watch. However, one thing he will be hoping to avoid is a similar controversy to that which he became embroiled in six years ago.
Back then, his playing partner in the second round, Kyle Stanley, failed to shout 'fore' when a wayward shot headed towards the crowd, eventually hitting the mother of Greg Milne, MacIntyre's caddie at the time.
That didn’t go down well with the Scot, who said: “The ball is going in the crowd. We're shouting 'fore,' the ball is coming down. We're shouting as it's coming into the crowd, and he's just standing watching it. People don't have enough time to react after we shout."
This time, he will be hoping to leave his golf to do the talking, and where punters are concerned, that is exactly what they think he will do.
