US Open 2020: Robert MacIntyre Confident to Debut with Winged Foot

Robert MacIntyre took part in the European Tour last year

Robert MacIntyre from Scotland thinks he can "compete with anyone in the world" as he prepares for his first US Open.

The event at Winged Foot kicks off Thursday after it was postponed in June due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The 24-year-old from Oban, ranked 89th in the world, tied for sixth at the 2019 Open Championship and shared 24th at last week's Andalucia Masters .

"When I shoot the shots I try to hit, it's just a golf course at the end of the day," MacIntyre told BBC Scotland.

"I've just been struggling with my game lately, but I started to see good signals. I had two rounds under par at Valderamma. It shows that I have the golf ball under control. and the mental side.

"When I play well, I feel like I can compete with anyone in the world. I've watched highlights from the US Open 2006 (at Winged Foot), but otherwise I've seen hole crossovers. I think it's simple – stay out of trouble and you'll have a good week. "

MacIntyre & # 39; s fellow Scotsman Colin Montgomerie came in second in 2006 after failing to pass the final hole.

" I had never seen the video of Monty & # 39; s last hole ", MacIntyre explained." When I got home from Valderamma I decided to watch it. He placed himself in that position and had a shot at a major. You get one shot at it and unfortunately it was probably one of the worst shots he ever took.

"Who knows, I could be on that piece and get the same shot he did, hopefully not, but it will happen to someone. Someone will have a great chance of winning and take a bad shot and cost them a big championship.

"It's just part of the game and why we love it. It delivers so many scenarios and results and it also drives you crazy at times. "

Sticky toffee pudding & banofee pie at US Open

European Tour players love MacIntyre has to adhere to strict coronavirus protocols and is kept within a" virtual bubble ".

"I honestly can't handle it well," MacIntyre revealed. Wrestling worse than me. I've had a way to do it, with the PlayStation and what not to waste the time. but you're seeing more shots halfway through than ever before.

"Some guys just explode and call it a day, but it's part of what it is now. We are lucky enough to play competitive golf and we need to have the strict stuff for that. I don't see it moving for a while.

"When I go to America, I have a better support network and I can keep it as normal as possible. In Europe it's you and the caddy. You're alone. In the United States. States it's kind of free. I've got my caddy, my coach and my mom come out and she's gonna cook for us. We'll eat the sticky toffee pudding and banofee pie. She's got it all. "

MacIntyre chose to play the tough Valderamma course "for more of a mental test than a physical" for Winged Foot.

While Winged Foot is edged by thick rough, the Spanish course is lined by hundreds of cork oaks – but the premium for accuracy is the same.

"If you hit bad shots. I think you're going to be punished. The crude of what I've seen is cruel," added MacIntyre, who will be accompanied at the US Open by fellow countryman Connor Syme and US-based Scottish amateur Sandy Scott.

"I know a lot about big Sandy. I played amateur golf with Sandy and was his partner when we won the Nations Cup for European teams in France. We played as partners on the last day

"His game has changed a lot since he left for the US. He now hits the ball much farther. He's from the Highlands again and I call him a & # 39; teuchtar & # 39; [a Gaelic-speaking Highlander]. He is a great player and he will do well. "