Robert MacIntyre felt he was beaten by the world’s best player after Rory McIlroy denied him a home victory at the Genesis Scottish Open.
Oban’s MacIntyre finished his final round with a one-shot lead following a superb birdie on 18, at a point when McIlroy still had three holes to play at The Renaissance Club.
McIlroy inflicted heartbreak on the Scot however, by finishing with two birdies to claim the co-sanctioned PGA Tour and DP World Tour event.
MacIntyre considers it a lifelong dream to win his home event, and after shooting a six-under-par final round 64 he insists he could have done little more to accomplish it.
He said: “I thought it might be enough, but that’s what happens when you are playing against the best in the world.
“Rory McIlroy just does what Rory McIlroy does.
“I’ve grown up watching Scottish Opens and my dream was always to win one.
“I thought today might have been the day, but it wasn’t to be.
“Look, I’m absolutely delighted with the way I played. It’s a sore one to take just now because it is a dream as a Scotsman to win a Scottish Open.
“I watched it at Loch Lomond every year it was there and it just wasn’t to be.
“I’m absolutely gutted just now, but I take my hat off to Rory.
“What a finish. To me, he’s probably the best in the world. When he needs it, he knows how to do it and he did it here.”
‘Probably the best shot I have hit in my life’
An eagle on the 10th hole surged MacIntyre firmly into contention, before back-to-back birdies at 14 and 15 put him two shots clear in the lead after England’s Tyrrell Hatton bogeyed 13.
After dropping a shot at 16, a wayward tee shot at the final hole threatened to unravel MacIntyre.
A superb shot from the rough took him to within three yards of the pin however, before he holed out for birdie to turn all the pressure on McIlroy.
Although the Northern Irishman ultimately fought back, MacIntyre insists he was thrilled with his approach to the closing stretch.
The 26-year-old added: “I just knew I had to go out there and make birdies and I was flying.
“I got a bit of luck on 10 with a nine-iron in there, it managed to hit the right side of the bank instead of hitting the downslope.
“That’s when I thought I had a chance.
“Once I eagled that I thought I could maybe get to 13 or 14 under.
“And I got to 14 a bit quicker than expected and got a wee bit spooked.
“But I kept hitting the right shots and played solid golf.
“I just thought: keep doing what you are doing. When I got onto the 16th and I think I had that four-iron from the semi rough about 150 yards, I thought it was going to be brutal coming in.
“But I knew what I had to do and I knew I had to make birdies and I did that. The dropped shot on the 16th was sore.
“It was a poor tee-shot on the 18th, but then probably the best shot I have ever hit in my life.”
Backing of home crowd will remain a fond memory
MacIntyre was noticeably emotional after finishing his round, prior to his anxious wait for McIlroy to finish his round.
He says the support he felt from the home crowd will forever stick with him, which he is determined to use as a springboard for future success.
MacIntyre, who will quickly turn his attention to this week’s Open Championship at Royal Liverpool, said: “I have never had support like that in my life.
“Having the support of family and friends is massive.
“But it felt like everyone out there was willing me to do it.
“That’s why I play golf.
“I was struggling for a wee bit there, I didn’t have the love for the game, I didn’t have the buzz, I was never in contention, I was pottering about middle of the table.
“The last wee while I have been in contention, I have got the buzz back.
“And today is the reason I play sport. If I wasn’t playing football or something that’s as good as it’s going to get just now.
“I’ll never forget this day. I was praying and hoping it was going to be the one.
“And it would have been one hell of a celebration.
“But it wasn’t to be just now.
“I’m only 26, there are plenty of Scottish Opens ahead and hopefully I can get across that line at some point.”
Final day disappointment for Ramsay
Aberdeen’s Richie Ramsay will also be at Hoylake this week but he was disappointed after ending his final round with three bogeys to finish three-under-par for the tournament.
Ramsay said: “I played really well and then just threw it away at the end.
“Maybe in the cold light of day I will look at it as a bit different, but I have thrown away a good opportunity to finish well there.
“It’s difficult with the wind but I did a lot of the hard work – I just needed to finish it off.”
Grant Forrest narrowly missed out on one of three Open Championship places, with a bogey at his 18th hole proving costly.
Forrest said: “It was the best I had. It got pretty brutal. I thought they set the course up as well as they could.
“It was one of those days, when the wind is like that, the putting is the hardest thing. It’s a strong field so I have to be happy.”
