How Bob MacIntyre - the 'wee boy from Oban' - has blossomed into major contender

Helped by the only eagle of the day coupled with a birdie from close range to finish the front nine, the Oban man had hung in there during the final round of the 125th US Open at Oakmont Country Club before making his move with birdies at the 14th and 17th.

He’d holed a gutsy par putt in between at the 15th and, albeit from closer to the hole, did likewise at the last to sign off with a 68 - only Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm bettered that - to set the clubhouse target on one over.

And, yes, it was beginning to look as though it would have been good enough for him to become the first Scot to be crowned as the US Open champion since Edinburgh-born Tommy Armour achieved the feat at the same venue in 1927.

That players like Adam Scott, Sam Burns, Viktor Hovland, Tyrrell Hatton and Carlos Ortiz all faltered at some point in the closing circuit was an indication of how well MacIntyre had handled a ferocious test and some dreadful weather conditions, too.

On another day, it would have been job done and no-one would have begrudged him, but it was J.J. Spaun who lifted the trophy instead after he produced a brilliant birdie-birdie finish to go from the depths of despair in the game a year ago to the new world No 7.

Yes, of course, it was disappointing for MacIntyre to be denied after being on the verge of something so big, but only mildly so because, let’s face it, he couldn’t really have done much more over the course of the four days.

This was his best effort so far in the majors and, with all due respect, showed how far he’s come in the game since finishing sixth on his major debut in The Open at Royal Portrush in 2019.

The left-hander was still wet behind the ears then in the professional game and would probably be the first to admit so. His high finish behind Shane Lowry was a bit of a bonus but, importantly, gave him a taste for being up on leaderboards in the game’s biggest events.

In a month’s time, MacIntyre will be heading back to the County Antrim venue for the 153rd Open as one of the game’s top players and he’s got there through sheer hard work, dedication and, equally importantly, not being scared to make the tough decisions.

His game really has come on leaps and bounds over the last couple of years while a spell when he was prone to over-heating at times seems to be out of his system.

The fire is still in his belly, as he showed on Sunday, and, as he did after coming close in the Genesis Scottish Open before winning it 12 months later, MacIntyre will now be driven by a huge desire to land at least one major.

Having had his appetite whetted by a winning debut in Rome in 2023, the Ryder Cup will be another diving force for him going forward and he’s now at a different level when it comes to the biennial event.

He probably wouldn’t have secured a captain’s pick for the last match, but, having shown Luke Donald that he’s got the game to win on the PGA Tour and almost get the job done in major, it’s difficult to see how he could be overlooked on this occasion if that situation arises.

Not that it should if he has two big weeks in the Genesis Scottish Open and The Open after joining McIlroy, Hatton, Shane Lowry, Sepp Straka and Rasmus Hojgaard as the current automatic qualifiers for Bethpage Black in September.

He may have made more money in a short space of time than he could ever have imagined in his wildest dreams, but, to his credit, MacIntyre has maintained a lovely knack of doing something that does himself proud while, at the same time, making Scotland proud of him.

It was a moment of sheer class, for example, when he applauded wholeheartedly and yelled “wow” with real vigour when Spaun sealed his maiden major win in style by rolling in a 64-foot birdie putt on the 18th green on Sunday.

This wasn’t MacIntyre’s time but, on this evidence, the “wee boy from Oban” definitely looks as though he’s got a major in him, so get strapped in for Royal Portrush.