Dunhill drone irks Bob MacIntyre as Tyrrell Hatton overheats at Carnoustie

It followed the Ryder Cup team-mates being picked up for a combination of bad language and bad behaviour playing in the same group at Carnoustie in front of what seemed to be the biggest-ever crowd for the event at the Angus venue.

MacIntyre blew his top after getting annoyed about a drone flying above him on the tee at the par-3 eighth - his penultimate hole of the day after being in the first group out at the tenth.

Explaining afterwards what happened, the Oban man said: “Yeah, I asked him twice previous to the shot on the eighth about the drone and then I stepped off the shot on eight. Before I hit the shot, I gave the guy the nod, but I can still hear it, like it's too close.

“Step off the shot, not fully committed because I'm just thinking about the drone and then, yeah, a bad shot. And then I step off my putt on my 18th because there's a drone there.”

MacIntyre complained about drones en route to landing his maiden PGA Tour triumph in the RBC Canadian Open in 2024. “I'm just trying to play golf and I get that TV and the TV money is everything,” he added. “But they don't need to be so close. I mean, my (phone) camera's got enough zoom from how close they were to be able to see the golf shots.

“So, yeah, a bit frustrating that and it drives me insane, I've had previous for it. When they're staying still, it's fine. But it's obviously buffeting from the wind and it's trying to stay in position, it's like a revving of a car right where you're trying to hit.”

After singing for a one-under-par 71, MacIntyre was spoken to by a rules official, who did likewise with Hatton, who had to settle for a two–over-par 74 - one of his worst scores in the tournament.

The Englishman exploded after hitting a bunker shot at the eighth, slamming his club into the sand at least four times as his escape from a bunker went through the back of the green.

“I can't say anything just now,” said MacIntyre in reply to being asked what the rules official had said to him. “I was just asking him what's going on. He’s obviously heard me swear a few times straight at the camera guy. Yeah, we'll see what the TD (tournament director) has got to say.”

MacIntyre, who became the fourth Scot after Paul Lawrie, Stephen Gallacher and Colin Montgomerie to land the title 12 months ago, signed for three birdies and two bogeys, including one to finish.

“Yeah, it was a decent round of golf,” said the world No 19. “It's tricky out there. Yeah, I didn't hole enough putts today. I hit a lot of lovely putts but just didn't hole enough putts.”

On Wednesday, MacIntyre spoke about Carnoustie being a “proper championship test” and this outing confirmed that view. “That's the toughest I've played this place in years,” he declared. “I've played here now 20 times I would say and it's normally a slightly different wind.

“You're standing on 17 and you're shelling driver over the burn, flicking on a wedge, whereas today it was 3-wood, rescue wood. There's some holes that were easier, but that was as good a test as this place has played. There's still a good score out there, but, yeah, it wasn't easy.”