Robert MacIntyre (left) contributed to Europe’s Ryder Cup victory at Bethpage Black last weekend.
Alfred Dunhill Links Championship – Round Two Leaderboard
-12: R. MacIntyre (Sco), R. Sterne (SA); -11: L. Oosthuizen (SA)
Selected others: -10: S. Jamieson (Sco), T. McKibbin (NI); -8: B. Koepka (US)*, M. Fitzpatrick (Eng); -7: B. Schmidt (Eng), T. Clements (Eng)*, T. Hatton (Eng), T. Fleetwood (Eng)
*Denotes players still to complete the second round
Robert MacIntyre of Scotland carded a six-under 66 amidst challenging conditions at Kingsbarns, securing a share of the clubhouse lead as the second round of the weather-affected Alfred Dunhill Links Championship was temporarily suspended.
The hometown favorite and recent European Ryder Cup participant recorded seven birdies against a single bogey, positioning him alongside South Africa’s Richard Sterne at 12 under par overall.
Sterne’s countryman, Louis Oosthuizen, trails by one stroke, while Northern Ireland’s Tom McKibbin and Scotland’s Scott Jamieson are part of a nine-player contingent at 10 under par. England’s Matt Fitzpatrick is positioned two shots further back at eight under.
MacIntyre, set to compete at the Old Course at St Andrews in the third round following his play at Carnoustie on Thursday, adeptly navigated Friday’s adverse weather conditions, as strong winds and heavy rainfall impacted all three host courses throughout the afternoon.
The world number nine, commencing his round on the 10th tee, secured birdies on the 11th, 12th, and 14th holes. His performance remained impressive after the turn, with his only bogey occurring on the second hole amidst a stretch of three birdies in five holes.
“It was almost a perfect round of golf, especially once the weather came in, just a lovely round,” stated MacIntyre, 29.
“It’s difficult when it gets this windy. It’s hard to hit the ball good with the wind.
“So I was having to try to fight the wind on certain holes and wasn’t comfortable – but I made some beautiful shots.”
In related news, England’s Nathan Kimsey achieved a remarkable feat by recording nine consecutive birdies at the Old Course, etching his name into the DP World Tour record books. He becomes only the third player to accomplish this, following Matt Wallace two years ago and Australian James Nitties in 2019.
The 32-year-old, concluding the day at five under par with a score of 68, began his impressive streak on the second hole after parring the first.
Approximately one-third of the 168-player field will resume their second rounds from 08:00 BST on Saturday, with the third round scheduled to commence at 12:30 with a shotgun start.
With a total prize pool of $5 million (£3.7 million), the victor of the professional event will receive $800,000 (£594,000). The team championship, featuring a diverse array of celebrities from sports, television, and film, offers a $50,000 (£37,000) prize for the winning pair.
Andy Murray and his playing partner Eddie Pepperell are at 15 under in the team event.
While former Wimbledon champion Andy Murray’s prowess off the tee and around the greens has caught the eye, a poorly executed bunker shot found its way on to social media on Friday. , external
The unfortunate moment for the Scot also drew laughter from his playing partner Eddie Pepperell, along with MacIntyre and his partner Brett Overman.
Alejandro del Rey and Downton Abbey actor Matthew Goode are in a four-way tie at the top of the team leaderboard on 24 under, while ice hockey legend Wayne Gretzky and LIV golfer Dustin Johnson are 10 shots back.
Former cricketers, including Kevin Pietersen, Michael Vaughan, Mark Nicholas and Allan Lamb, as well as five-time Olympic gold medal-winning rower Steve Redgrave are also taking part. So too actor Michael Douglas, his wife Catherine Zeta-Jones, Bill Murray and musician Ronan Keating.