Robert MacIntyre curses 18th hole after round at Open

Scottish golfer Robert MacIntyre made a strong start to the 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale on Thursday, July 16, 2026, carding a three-under-par 67 to position himself near the top of the leaderboard. The 29-year-old's round, which featured four birdies and one bogey, left him one shot behind early leaders Sungjae Im and Daniel Brown and in a tie for third place with several others, including Americans Bryson DeChambeau and Alex Smalley.

MacIntyre described his opening round as nearly perfect, built on discipline and a conservative strategy to navigate the sun-baked, fast-running links course. He emphasized the importance of staying out of Royal Birkdale's notorious pot bunkers, a challenge he called one of the hardest he has faced. Despite his satisfaction with the score, his round ended with a moment of visible frustration. After hooking his approach shot on the 18th hole into the rough, a hot microphone captured him muttering an expletive-laden critique of the hole. He nonetheless salvaged a par with a skillful up-and-down from a difficult lie.

This incident follows a pattern of emotional outbursts from the Scottish player, most notably during the 2026 Masters...