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Rory McIlroy Had a Classy Interaction With Robert MacIntyre After Winning Scottish Open

McIlroy shared an embrace with the 26-year-old from Scotland after beating him by one stroke, knowing how much a win would have meant to him on home turf.

Gabrielle Herzig

Rory McIlroy Had a Classy Interaction With Robert MacIntyre After Winning Scottish Open
Rory McIlroy Had a Classy Interaction With Robert MacIntyre After Winning Scottish Open /

Robert MacIntyre not only hit one of the best shots of the year on Sunday at the Scottish Open—he looked to be on his way to a magical victory in his home country. That is, until a certain Northern Irishman stormed into the clubhouse with back-to-back birdies to capture his 24th career title on the PGA Tour. 

Rory McIlroy’s putt on the 18th hole solidified his win, but if the four-time major champion had two-putted, MacIntyre would have had one last chance to clinch his home national Open title and gain PGA Tour membership. 

But instead, MacIntyre had to listen to the booming roar from the 18th green for McIlroy, as he stood on the driving range for a potential playoff. 

The second-place finish wasn’t MacIntyre’s ideal outcome, but he could not have been more pleased with his final round 64 in brutal weather conditions on his home turf. Plus, he earned the largest paycheck of his career: $985,500.

“Yeah, I'll never forget it. I had to take a minute coming off 18. I mean, that's why I play this sport. That's why I'm in the Scottish Open, and if not the Open, the Scottish Open will be up there with the event I want to play for the rest of my life. It's one I've dreamed of winning since I watched at home, and I thought today coming down once I birdied 18, I thought, this might be the one,” MacIntyre said. 

Knowing what the event means to MacIntyre, McIlroy was spotted giving his competitor an embrace after the conclusion of the round and sharing a few kind words with the 26-year-old. 

The classy interaction was the picture-perfect conclusion to one of the most dramatic tournament finishes of the 2023 season, and the golf community couldn’t get enough of it. 

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Gabrielle Herzig
GABRIELLE HERZIG

Gabrielle Herzig is a Breaking and Trending News writer for Sports Illustrated Golf. Previously, she worked as a Golf Digest Contributing Editor, an NBC Sports Digital Editorial Intern, and a Production Runner for FOX Sports at the site of the 2018 U.S. Open. Gabrielle graduated as a Politics Major from Pomona College in Claremont, California, where she was a four-year member and senior-year captain of the Pomona-Pitzer women’s golf team. In her junior year, Gabrielle studied abroad in Scotland for three months, where she explored the Home of Golf by joining the Edinburgh University Golf Club.

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