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- World No 4 Aberg tips MacIntyre to follow up his Scottish Open success with a run for glory at The Open at Royal Troon this week
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- Now, with 25 years having also passed since Paul Lawrie’s Open win at Carnoustie, Oban golfer MacIntyre is one of the form men heading to Troon
Bob MacIntyre has been backed to clinch a famous double on home soil this week by winning the Open Championship at Royal Troon.
The 27-year-old Scot roared to victory in the Genesis Scottish Open on Sunday night, with a late burst of brilliance over the final few holes seeing him win by a shot.
That ended a 25-year wait for a home winner in the Scottish Open — and MacIntyre has now been tipped to end another 25-year drought by becoming the first Scot to lift the Claret Jug since Paul Lawrie in 1999.
Swedish superstar Ludvig Aberg played alongside MacIntyre in the final round at The Renaissance — and believes his Ryder Cup team-mate can go all the way in Troon this week.
‘Yeah, I definitely think he can win again,’ said Aberg, who had taken a two-shot lead into the final round before faltering.
‘Fair play to Bob yesterday, he did it tremendously. It’s not easy going out and playing in front of a big crowd like that and performing — and he did that very well.
MacIntyre gets his hands on the Scottish Open trophy and is a form man going into The Open
The Scot wowed the galleries at The Renaissance Club, but can he do it again at Royal Troon?
Aberg played alongside MacIntyre in the final round and saw first-hand the Scot’s will to win
‘I’m really happy for him and his family and his coaches about what he did yesterday. Obviously, I think this week is going to be pretty special for him as well. Yeah, he can win it.’
Aberg was a fellow rookie with MacIntyre in last year’s Ryder Cup as the pair helped Team Europe to a dominant victory over the Americans.
The pair have continued to go from strength to strength, with MacIntyre’s victory on Sunday coming on the back of his win in the Canadian Open last month which broke his duck on the PGA Tour.
Aberg has also won twice since turning pro just over a year ago — and the 24-year-old Swede believes the Ryder Cup was key in helping himself and MacIntyre take their game to a new level.
‘I can’t really speak for Bob too much on that, I guess. I can only speak for myself,’ he said of MacIntyre, who postponed his media duties at Troon yesterday due to some lusty celebrations on Sunday night.
‘But I took a lot away from that week. I thought it was very cool to be in that situation, be around those players, or the people that I’ve watched on TV for a very, very long time. I think Bob would feel the same way, that being in that environment around better players makes you better.
Rated one of golf’s elite prospects, Aberg was disappointed with the way his challenge faded
‘He performed very well in Rome, and it definitely helped him and me, I would guess, a lot going forward.’
Having barely put a foot wrong since he turned pro, Aberg allowed victory to slip from his grasp on Sunday afternoon.
Taking a two-shot lead into the final round, he shot a three-over par 73 to slip back into a tie for fourth place.
Asked where he felt the tournament had slipped away, he added: ‘I had some issues with the driver. I think yesterday was a good example of when I wasn’t in the fairway, it was tough.
‘Being better off the tee would have been a little bit easier, obviously, to score better.’
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