Robert MacIntyre reveals what Rory McIlroy told him about his winning putt at last year’s Scottish Open

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Robert MacIntyre has shared what Rory McIlroy told him about the putt the Northern Irishman holed to win last year’s Scottish Open as the pair prepare to return to The Renaissance Club this week.

Rory McIlroy makes his long-awaited return to the game in North Berwick in the coming days, with the 35-year-old out of action since missing out on the US Open title at Pinehurst in June.

Of course, it was clear just how devastated McIlroy was to lose to Bryson DeChambeau in North Carolina, with the four-time major champion leaving the property almost as soon as DeChambeau had holed the winning putt. So it will be fascinating to see what happens when McIlroy returns in Scotland in the coming days.

Obviously, he has happy memories of this tournament, having won the event last year – finishing one shot clear of Robert MacIntyre after making a birdie on the final hole.

Robert MacIntyre reveals what Rory McIlroy told him about winning putt at Scottish Open

Many remember the stunning two-iron McIlroy hit onto the green, but he also holed a very missable putt to get across the line. And, as it turns out, McIlroy himself thought that he was about to end up in a play-off, as MacIntyre has revealed in an interview with the DP World Tour.

“In my head I’m going, at worst, it’s a play-off to be honest with you. He then misses the putt on 16 for birdie and I’m thinking right, I’ve got a chance here. He then hits an unbelievable iron into 17 with that wind. He holes a good putt there, and then 18 was just carnage all day. I think there was only three birdies all day: me and Rory were two of them,” he said.

“So I’m thinking there is a chance he makes birdie, there is a chance he makes par, there’s also a chance he makes bogey here. He hit his tee shot and I’m watching it on the TV at the range, the tracer obviously, you can see it turning left. I think I had about 230, 220 yards, he must have had the same: 210, 200, and you’re still thinking there’s a chance here because a two-iron on that green is carnage.

“He’s hit one of the best shots that he can hit, and then his putt, I’ve spoken to him since and he thought it was going to miss. But there’s not many players on the planet that can do what he did there, and he’s one of the best of our generation to ever do it.”

Northern Irishman will hope putts drop in over next two weeks

McIlroy will be hoping for a couple of breaks like that over the next couple of weeks as he will feel that he has a bit of a point to prove after what happened at the US Open.

Had he made that putt on 16 on Sunday, he would have surely gone on and won the tournament and secured his fifth major title. And you really get the feeling that that fifth will bring many more – if it happens.