'I'm not scared': Bob MacIntyre puts Open title right on his radar as 10 year-old club does trick

The Oban man followed an opening level-par 71 at Royal Portrush with a second-round 66 - the polished effort contained six birdies and one bogey - to sit handily-placed at the midway point in the season’s final major.

Paul Lawrie landed Scotland’s most recent men’s major victory when he won The Open at Carnoustie in 1999, but, growing in stature with each appearance on the game’s biggest stages, MacIntyre is relishing the challenge as he bids to land a tartan triumph on the County Antrim coast.

“There's potential,” he replied, smiling, to being asked if he felt this weekend could be his time after being in with a chance in the US Open before having to settle for second place as J.J. Spaun finished birdie-birdie at Oakmont.

“It could be anyone's time. I'm in a good spot. I feel happy, confident, comfortable. I'm going to go out and give it my best shot all the way through Sunday afternoon.”

He added of his lofty position on the giant yellow leaderboard at this event: “I'm not scared. I'm not going to back away. It's completely different to Oakmont. Oakmont, I couldn't roll the dice. It was never let's press, let's press. It was always, right, let's go out here with pars. This week, hopefully come the 69th, 70th hole, I've got a chance. If I've got a chance, I'm going to roll it.”

The 28-year-old is delighted to be in a prominent position again in one of the game’s marquee events. “Yeah, it's brilliant,” he said. “I've got so much more confidence and so much more belief that I am good enough.

“Obviously winning in Europe, winning in America, you're good enough for that, there's another little level to it. I've obviously managed to finish in the top ten in majors before, but I've never competed.

“In the PGA Championship this year, I was right in the mix. There was a lot going on Saturday, Sunday, and I fell away, but I had so much confidence going in that I was at that level now.

“Oakmont obviously happens, which gives you another boost and now, after winning the Scottish Open last year, the full focus is on winning majors.”

So far, a ten-year-old TaylorMade Aeroburner 3-wood that he put in his bag this week has been earning its corn. “I've always struggled with 3-woods ever since I was young,” he admitted. “I actually thought I had broken that one in Abu Dhabi in 2020. It just wasn't going the distance and I had been searching for a 3-wood since then.

“But I went back into the cupboard and looked at the antiques. I hit it a couple of times in my simulator, and it was doing everything it used to do when everyone else thought it was broken. Yeah, it works.”