If golf fans at Royal Troon were looking for the pairing that they want to follow earlier on in the day on Sunday at The Open Championship, the prospect of seeing Robert MacIntyre and Phil Mickelson will surely stand out as the obvious contender.
Of course, there looks set to be a mouthwatering final round at Royal Troon, with five shots separating the top 15 names on the leaderboard – and within those 15 names are six major champions.
Despite so many big names missing the cut in South Ayrshire, there are some fantastic players who will hope to fly up the leaderboard early on Sunday and end their 2024 major championship season on a high.
And one of those who will surely have a large following for the final round is Robert MacIntyre. The Scottish Open champion is actually looking for his first round of the week where he shoots par or better.
Robert MacIntyre drawn with Phil Mickelson
The 27-year-old is sat at +6 so probably has too much to do to put himself in contention, but the likes of Sam Burns and Thriston Lawrence showed what could be done on Saturday as they put themselves right in the mix.
Whatever happens, it seems that MacIntyre is going to remember the final round for a long time – and that is because he is playing alongside Phil Mickelson.
The 2013 champion also shot a one over 72 on Saturday to put himself at six over for the tournament. It is unlikely that he is going to be able to replicate his brilliance at Kiawah Island in 2021, but MacIntyre suggested on X that he is really looking forward to playing alongside the LIV Golf star…
The fan favourite group
It is definitely the standout group until you get to those who really have a good chance of winning on Sunday. MacIntyre will have amazing support from the galleries, and Mickelson remains one of the biggest names in the game, whatever you happen to think of the six-time major champion.
Neither will surely have any great expectations for the tournament itself, so it could prove to be a lot of fun, particularly if they have the best of the conditions.
Receive exclusive golf news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
