MacIntyre, Furue Walk-Off For Epic Victories| The Sunday Swing

The Sunday Swing 
July 14th, 2024 

Welcome back to another edition of the Sunday Swing presented by 2nd Swing Golf. This week was a busy one, as the PGA Tour and DP World Tour co-sanctioned the Genesis Scottish Open one week ahead of the season's final major, while the LPGA was in France for their final major- The Evian Championship. 

Genesis Scottish Open - Tournament History

The Scottish Open is an event that has been played since 1972. It is part of the European Tour (DP World Tour) and has been held at various courses throughout Scotland over the years. Now hosted at the Renaissance Club in North Berwick, Scotland, the tournament has seen many top golfers, such as Colin Montgomerie, Rory McIlroy, Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson, and more claim victory. In recent years, the Scottish Open has become an important event in the lead-up to The Open Championship, attracting a strong field of international players as those who have not qualified for the Open Championship will have one last shot at it at the Scottish the week prior. It continues to gain popularity as a tournament, almost seeming like a preview of the Open Championship with the early start times for fans in the United States and traditional links-style golf. Designed by renowned golf architect Tom Doak, The Renaissance Club is the perfect venue for players to gear up for the season’s final major. Situated along the Scottish coastline, the course offers stunning views of the Firth of Forth and provides a challenging true links test for players at both the professional and amateur level. The most recent five winners of the Scottish Open are as follows: 

2024 - Robert MacIntyre (-18)
2023 - Rory McIlroy (-15)
2022 - Xander Schauffele (-7)
2021 - Min Woo Lee (-18)
2020 - Aaron Rai (-11) 

The Big Swing 

This week the Big Swing belongs to the Scotsman himself, Robert MacIntyre. After losing in heartbreaking fashion to Rory McIlroy a year ago by just one stroke, MacIntyre made it clear that he has wanted to win his home country’s national open for as long as he can remember. MacIntyre’s game had been in good form coming into the Scottish Open, as shown by his victory at the Canadian Open a few weeks ago. It was no doubt the competition would be stiff, yet MacIntyre was able to find comfort in the fact that he was playing a home game as one of just eight fellow Scotsmen. 

The weather conditions were relatively benign this week by Scotland’s standards, allowing for players to shoot some pretty low scores throughout the week. On Thursday it was Justin Thomas who set the pace for the field, firing a bogey-free round of 62. MacIntyre opened with 67, while McIlroy and Collin Morikawa each shot 65. 

After a red-hot 63 on Thursday, Sungjae Im pressed onward on Friday, shooting 67 and positioning himself nicely heading to the weekend. At the top of the board was another familiar name, Ludvig Aberg. The youngster from Sweden has exploded onto the scene in recent months after being one of the youngest players to ever compete in a Ryder Cup at just age 23. While he hasn’t broke through for a victory on Tour yet this season, Aberg has still posted a barrage of quality finishes including runner-up finishes at Pebble Beach and The Masters. Chasing him down would not be an easy task for any of the players.

MacIntyre made his move on Saturday. Starting the weekend trailing by four, MacIntyre was able to cut that in half after a fabulous round of 63 to keep himself in the mix. Still, he would trail Aberg by two shots. The Swede shot a 65 on Saturday to cement himself on top after 54 holes. Besides MacIntyre, several big names were hot on Aberg’s trail including Adam Scott, Morikawa, Sahith Theegala, and Im. 

After a rocky start to the final round by Aberg, the door was opened for someone to really give Ludvig a run for his money. With Aberg and MacIntyre both struggling at 1-over par through 11 holes on Sunday, it was the 43-year-old veteran Adam Scott who rose to the occasion. Scott got it to 3-under on his round after 14 holes, and had claimed solo possession of the lead at 17-under par. After Aberg’s struggles continued with another bogey at the 13th, it was MacIntyre who sent a jolt of electricity through the crowd when he drilled a 41-footer for birdie on the par-3 14th to get within two of Scott. Still with a hill to climb, MacIntyre hit arguably the shot of the week at the par-5 16th when his 7-iron from 248 yards stopped just outside 6-feet from the hole. As the eagle putt found the bottom, MacIntyre had vaulted himself into a tie for the lead with just two to play. 

After a par at 17, MacIntyre could close it out if he could make one more birdie on the 72nd hole. As his approach shot found the green about 22-feet from the hole, a playoff seemed like the most likely outcome. MacIntyre had other plans, however, as his birdie effort just barely had enough gas to drip over the front edge and into the hole. Two hands in the air, MacIntyre celebrated the victory with thousands of fans surrounding the 18th green as he became the first Scottish player to win the Scottish Open since Colin Montgomerie in 1999. His victory also makes him the first Scotsman to win multiple times on Tour in the same season since Sandy Lyle in 1988.

Winner’s Bag - Robert MacIntyre 

Titleist staffer Robert MacIntyre picked up his 2nd victory of the season on Sunday at the Genesis Scottish Open. Off the tee, MacIntyre plays the Titleist TSR2 Driver (9 degrees). One notable addition to the bag is his 3-wood, which is a Titleist prototype.  MacIntyre does carry one hybrid, a Taylormade Stealth 2 at 19 degrees. He plays Titleist 620 CB’s through the bag (4-9 iron), and carries four wedges (all of which are Titleist). The combination of wedges is made up of an SM10 (46), two SM9’s (50 & 56), and a WedgeWorks lob wedge (60 degrees). Like many on Tour, on the greens Bobby plays the Taylormade Spider Tour. 

Key Stats: 
Strokes Gained: Off the Tee- 9th

Strokes Gained: Approach to Green- 6th

Strokes Gained: Around the Green- 35th

Strokes Gained: Putting- 16th

Strokes Gained: Total- 1st 

In the World of Women’s Golf 

This week, the best ladies golfers in the world competed for another major at the Evian Championship. The Evian Championship is one of the five major championships in women's golf. First established in 1994 as the Evian Masters, it was not until 2013 that the event actually became a major. The tournament takes place at the Evian Resort Golf Club in Évian-les-Bains, France, offering truly stunning views of Lake Geneva and the surrounding mountains for fans and players alike. 

Known for its rich history and tradition, the Evian Championship has seen some of the greatest names in women's golf compete for the title. The tournament has undergone significant development and enhancement over the years, solidifying its reputation as a premier event in the world of women's golf. With its beautiful setting and top-quality competition, the Evian Championship continues to attract a global audience and remains a highlight of the LPGA Tour. This year was no exception, and the highly anticipated event featured a star-studded field.

Despite the firepower we are used to seeing in these big tournaments, an underdog prevailed. It was 24-year-old Ayaka Furue from Japan who was able to fend off the likes of Stephanie Kyriacou, Patty Tavatanakit, and Lauren Coughlin as she surged to the top of the leaderboard late in the day on Sunday. After rounds of 65, 65, and 70, Furue found herself trailing heading to the final round. 

When she arrived at the 14th hole on Sunday, she still trailed Coughlin by three. It was on the 14th green where she found some hope, making a very long and winding birdie putt to get within a couple. After another birdie at 15, the lead was down to just one. A brilliant iron shot at the par-3 16th set up yet another birdie for Furue, who was suddenly tied for the lead. At the par-5 18th, Furue played aggressively and was able to reach the par-5 finishing hole in two, setting up a good look at eagle. As the eagle putt dropped, Furue had secured her first major title and just her second LPGA title by one shot.