Robert MacIntyre birdied the last to claim an emotional home victory and win his first Rolex Series title at the Genesis Scottish Open.
The home favourite produced a stunning finish 12 months ago at The Renaissance Club only to see Rory McIlroy take the title but he would not be denied again in front of his adoring fans.
It needed another big finish as he trailed by three on the back nine but he holed a long putt on the 14th, eagled the 16th after a remarkable approach from the rough to six feet and holed from 22 feet on the last to spark wild celebrations.
His closing 67 saw him finish at 18 under, one shot clear of Australian Adam Scott and two ahead of Frenchman Romain Langasque.
MacIntyre had been saying all week that Scotland’s national open was the “one I want” following his 2023 heartbreak when he birdied the last after a remarkable second only to see McIlroy make a gain at the 17th and then produce some magic of his own to deny him at the death.
Since then MacIntyre has been part of a winning European Ryder Cup team and claimed his first – and now second – win on the PGA TOUR to go with his two previous victories on the DP World Tour.
He could now go as high as 16th on the Official World Golf Ranking, moves to third on the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex and top of the Closing Swing Rankings, but the title of first Scottish winner of this event since Colin Montgomerie 25 years ago is clearly the achievement he treasures most.
“I’ve put a lot of work into this,” he said. “I’ve changed a lot within the team and I’ve just worked hard. I wanted the Scottish Open.
“The crowd has been unbelievable. The crowd support, the support of the Scottish people from 2017, 2018, 2019, the support has been unbelievable.
“Close last year but I had my chance here at the end and I just kept saying to myself, ‘just take a chance, take a chance’. I took it. I can’t believe it.
“Next week is a new week but I tell you, I’m going to celebrate this with my family, friends, and everyone here. I’m going to celebrate this one hard. We’ll pitch up to The Open when we pitch up to The Open.”
Joining MacIntyre at Royal Troon will be English pair Aaron Rai and Richard Mansell and Swede Alex Noren after they finished as the three leading players not already exempt for the season’s final Major Championshp.
Rai finished at 14 under alongside McIlroy, overnight leader Ludvig Åberg, South Korea’s Sungjae Im and American pair Collin Morikawa and Sahith Theegala.
Åberg’s two-shot overnight lead was quickly extended to three as MacIntyre found an awful lie in a greenside bunker on the second but the Swede would soon have company from the charging Scott.
The 2013 Masters champion had bogeyed the first after chipping over the green but put a stunning approach to three feet at the fourth and made a two-putt birdie after driving the par-four next.
A poor Åberg tee-shot at the third led to a bogey and when Scott holed from 13 feet on the par-three sixth, he was in a share of the lead.
Åberg got up and down on the fifth to lead on his own and MacIntyre recovered his early dropped shot with a two-putt after driving the par-four fifth.
Scott then faltered with a double-bogey on the eighth after chipping over the green again but hit back by holing a bunker shot at the ninth and making a two-putt birdie on the par-five tenth.
MacIntyre bogeyed the tenth after missing the green and failing to get up and down and playing partner Åberg produced another ragged tee-shot on the 11th to slip back into a share with Scott.
A Scott tee-shot to tap-in range on the 14th and an Åberg bogey on the 13th put the 43-year-old two ahead and MacIntyre joined the group in second with a 41-footer on the 14th that brought the biggest cheer of the week so far.
Scott then failed to get up-and-down on the 15th after missing the green but played a beautiful deft chip on the par-five next to lead by two.
MacIntyre was not finished, however, and after getting a fortunate drop from a horrible lie due to a sprinkler, he hit a remarkable second to six feet on the 16th and made the eagle putt to share the lead.
Scott parred his way home to leave MacIntyre needed a closing birdie and he duly delivered, finding the green from the first cut and then seeing his putt drop on what seemed to be the very last roll to complete an emotional triumph.
Scott matched MacIntyre’s 67, while Langasque – who was finished a long time before the final groups – carded a 64 with an eagle, five birdies and a single bogey.
Åberg also bogeyed the 16th in a 73, while Rai signed for a 63, McIlroy carded a 68 and Im, Morikawa and Theegala all finished with rounds of 69.
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