Bob MacIntyre says he got away with 'robbery' after 'struggle' at Wentworth

The Oban man said it had been a “struggle” in his second circuit at the Surrey venue, but, after managing to salvage a 70 after chipping in twice over the closing stretch, he’s sitting in the top ten when feeling that just making the cut would have been a positive outcome.

On seven under, MacIntyre lies six shots off the lead after Englishman Matthew Baldwin added a 66 to an opening 65, but, along with the likes of Rory McIlroy, the Genesis Scottish Open champion is heading into the weekend with a whiff of victory in his nostrils.

“It was probably the best two-under-par round of my life, to be honest,” admitted MacIntyre, who hit his second shot out of bounds at the long 12th to take 6 there to move to one over for the day before making his chips in at the 14th for a birdie then 17th for an eagle. 

“I’m probably one of the best long-iron players but probably one of the worst short-iron players in the world. I know that and I know how to improve and where to improve. It was just a struggle.”

Having won twice on the PGA Tour this season, MacIntyre finished joint-fifth in the Amgen Irish Open last weekend and was pleased with himself for digging out a score on this occasion to be in with another chance in a Rolex Series event after winning the last one at The Renaissance Club in July.

“It’s all from discipline,” he said of his eventual score on the West Course. “I hit a simple 7-iron out of bounds and, yeah, I was annoyed. But I didn’t let it affect the next shot or the one after that or the one after that. To get that eagle on 17 was massive going into the weekend.

“I also chipped on 14 after a poor 7-iron in there. It was a chip I felt good over and there on 17 it was the same as I felt good over it as well after another driver off the deck. It just sets up right for the shot as I can’t get there with the 3-wood. To get out there with two under is a bit of a robbery.

“Yeah, happy with the position I’m in. Again, it’s just to be there on Sunday with a chance. The way I played today, to be in with a chance is really good. To make the cut was really good the way I was playing out there. I just felt I couldn’t attack a pin. We were just literally trying to hit greens. Yeah, we are in a golf tournament.”

On a day when play was halted for just over an hour around lunchtime due to lighting in the area, Baldwin reached the halfway stage on 13 under, equalling the tournament record set by Paul McGinley in 2008.

The 38-year-old, who landed a first DP World Tour triumph in South Africa last year in his 200th appearance, leads by two shots from recent Betfred British Masters winner Niklas Norgaard (67).

Frenchman Antoine Rozner is a further shot back after his best-of-the-day 65, with 2014 champion McIlroy lurking ominously on nine under alongside another Wentworth winner in Matteo Manassero.

Admitting he’d considered quitting the game on more than occasion as he battled to make proper headway in the game, Baldwin said: “I had three or four months working at Amazon driving a van just to see me through the winter before the Challenge Tour started in 2022. I learned a lot from that. I learned that there are other things that I could do in life, but I also learned that I really wanted to play golf.”

McIlroy is delighted to be in the mix after being pipped at Royal County Down last weekend by Dane Rasmus Hojgaard.  "It's really important [to play well] but also it's nice, I wouldn't have liked the week off to just wallow in self-pity if I hadn't have played," said McIlroy.

"To come back out and get straight back on the golf course and play a couple of solid rounds to give myself a chance at another really big tournament that means a lot to me, I thought it was important to do that and thankfully I have.

"Obviously last week I don't know if there's anything that will compare to that scene on 18 on Sunday, but the crowds out here for the first two days, it's incredible. It's a proper tournament, it's the way it's supposed to feel and it's a pleasure to play in front of them in that atmosphere."

MacIntyre was joined in making the cut by Grant Forrest, Ewen Ferguson, Richie Ramsay and Connor Syme - the latter finished with three straight birdies - but, even though the second round is still to be completed after play was suspended just after 7pm due to darkess, an early exit is on the cards for Calum Hill after taking a 6 at the last, as well as David Law and Scott Jamieson.

After finishing his opening-day effort with a double-bogey 7 having been seven under with three holes to play, Forrest was much happier after signing off with two birdies in adding a 71 to a 68 to sit on five under alongside Ferguson, who carded five birdies in his 68.

“I think lunch will taste better than dinner did last night, that’s for sure,” said Forrest with a smile, having been out in the second group of the day. “I just kind of hung in there today. I hit a good wedge shot stiff on 17 and got the shot away perfectly on 18 and hit a nice 6-iron onto the green and two-putted - that’s how it should be done on 18!”

The Pencaitland-based player had been furious about a “stupid mistake” taking the shine off his previous day’s work and was disappointed about taking a double-bogey 6 at the third in the second circuit, but, on the back of recording a top-finish in the Irish Open, he’s heading into the weekend with a spring in his step,

“I think at the start of the week, if you’d offered me four under in the opening round, you’d take it, but obviously the circumstances were slightly different yesterday,” he said. “You just have to get up and go again, especially when you have an early start. All in all, it was alright today. I didn’t really hit it very close apart from 17, but it was decent enough.”