Dunhill delivers for Scots again as eight home players make cut

Add in a number of players, notably local man George Murray in 2011 as he chalked up a career-best third place on the circuit to save his card, recording big finishes and you can understand why players flying the Saltire on the DP World Tour rub their hands at the prospect of the $5 million event coming around.

With a circuit to go, the 25th edition is shaping up to be profitable once again for home players. Three Scots - defending champion MacIntyre, Calum Hill and Connor Syme - are tied for eighth on 12 under, with Michael Stewart a further shot back. Three others - Euan Walker, David Law and Scott Jamieson - sit on ten under, with Cameron Adam also making the 54-hole cut on six under.

For lots of different reasons, a low final round on the Old Course at St Andrews on Sunday could prove season-defining for some and, though South African Casey Jarvis is the man out in front, another tartan triumph is still a possibility.

For Hill, it’s a chance to create history, in fact, as the first Fife-born player to claim the coveted crown. Playing his third round at Kingsbarns, the 31-year-old signed for a seven-under-par 65. In a roller-coaster effort, he eagled the par-5 12th to move to eight under for the day. A double-bogey 5 at the short 13th followed by a bogey at the next took some of the wind out of his sails before birdies at the 16th and 17th reignited his title challenge.

“Yeah, played really nice, putted great, and also hit it very good,” reported the US-based player. “Really had it going to begin with. Obviously had a bit of a blunder there midway through the back nine and then recovered well. All in all, it was good.”

Sitting 24th in the Race to Dubai Ranking, the two-time tour winner has already secured his spot in the season-ending Play-Offs in the Middle East in November. His big goal, though, is to clinch one of the ten 2027 PGA Tour cards up for grabs.

“I live in the States, so the goal is obviously to reduce my travel a little bit,” admitted Hill, who, like MacIntyre, became a new dad earlier this year. “So the goal is to get there. Every week's a big week from now on, so you just need one to go really well. It'd be nice to sort of take advantage tomorrow. Yeah, if I can recreate similar things to what I did today tomorrow and shoot a super low one, then you never know.”

Syme, who picked up three birdies in his last five holes at St Andrews to sign for a 67 in the penultimate round, would be another popular winner. He lives in Dundee and is attached to Drumoig Golf Centre, which is just nine miles from the Old Course.

Thanks to a maiden win in the KLM Open last year, the 31-year-old has an exemption until the end of next season. He’s set up a great chance, though, to make a significant jump from 164th on the points list, having not been lower than 51st at the end of a campaign for the last four seasons.

MacIntyre, who is bidding to join Padraig Harrington and Tyrrell Hatton as the only players to win this event more than once, had one slip up - finding gorse with his tee shot and having to take a drop en route to a double-bogey 6 at the second - in his 68 at St Andrews. “Yeah, just one bad hole, but you can’t afford to do that,” said the world No 19. “Other than that, I played well again.”

One of his best drives of the day set up an eagle chance from around 15 feet and below the hole at the 18th. “It was criminal not to get that putt to the hole,” he admitted. “We’ll need to see if I’m too far back. I’ll just go out and shoot as low as I can tomorrow and see where I end up.”

In just his sixth DP World Tour start and making his debut in this one through a sponsor’s invitation, Stewart continued to do himself proud. A double-bogey 6 at the Road Hole - his eighth hole of the day - was a test of his resolve but, with former world No 1 Lee Westwood watching on in the group behind, the 36-year-old Ayrshireman responded by smacking his drive at the 18th on to the edge of the green and going on to sign for a 69.

In-form Law - the Aberdonian has now made six cuts in a row in the business end of the season - shot a 68, which contained seven birdies, at Kingsbarns. With the top 100 hanging on to cards for next year, he came into this event sitting 98th and, instead of facing a stressful few weeks, he could secure his seat at the top table with a big last-day push.

The same goes for Walker, who started the week sitting 125th in the rankings. Signing for a 69 at Kingsbarns in his third round, it’s been a polished performance so far from the 31-year-old Ayrshireman, who is a rookie on the circuit this season. So, too, is Adam and, having dug deep - he made five birdies in eight holes on the back nine in a 70 at Kingsbarns - the former St Andrews Links Trophy winner will be hoping to produce some more Old Course magic on Sunday.

With Jamieson, winner of the Nexo Championship in his last outing on home soil, also still standing, there is plenty for Scottish fans to feel excited about heading to the home of golf on Sunday. “It’s great to see so many Scots making it through and a few in with a chance of winning,” observed MacIntyre, the man, of course, who has flown the Saltire as well as anyone in recent years. “That’s what I’ve been talking about a lot and here’s hoping that one of us can even win it tomorrow.”