Robert MacIntyre endures torrid Open de France display, missing the cut a week before Ryder Cup
Robert MacIntyre, who was the only member of Europe's Ryder Cup team competing this week, moved from three under par after seven holes to six over at the Open de France, missing the cut; the 27-year-old Scot hit nine bogeys and two double-bogeys at Le Golf National
Friday 22 September 2023 21:14, UK
Scotland's Robert MacIntyre endured an Open de France performance to forget, missing the cut one week before the start of the Ryder Cup in Italy, live on Sky Sports Golf.
The 27-year-old registered nine bogeys - four on the first day, five on the second - and two double-bogeys on the second, moving from three under par after seven holes, to level-par after the first day, and then to six over and missing the cut at Le Golf National.
MacIntyre, who was the only member of Europe's Ryder Cup team competing this week, had to settle for an early exit, while 27-year-old compatriot Ewen Ferguson sits three shots off the lead.
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England's Jordan Smith, meanwhile, was happy to see the hard work paying off as he carded a 64 to take a three-shot lead into the weekend at the event.
The 30-year-old won his second DP World Tour title at last season's Portugal Masters to end the campaign a career-high 12th in the rankings and was selected in the Great Britain and Ireland team that was defeated by Continental Europe at the Hero Cup in January.
He arrived at Le Golf National off the back of nine consecutive made cuts and was full of confidence after working on his putting in recent weeks.
"The last few weeks have been really good, been putting lovely, so there's a lot of confidence in there," he said.
"Been doing a lot of work with my putting coach, Matt, back home and away at tournaments.
"It's been a lot of work, lot of drills, lot of time on the putting green but the last week has been great on the putting green so it's given me a lot of confidence."
'Awesome' Europeans find form in final test before Ryder Cup
In their last event ahead of the Ryder Cup, seven of Team Europe's players placed in the top 10 at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth; "It's awesome. We're in a good spot," says Rory McIlroy.
Tyrrell Hatton edged out of the top spot by Ryan Fox to finish tied in second. "I take some confidence from that," Hatton said, looking forward to the "very special" weeks to come.
All 12 members of the team made the cut in the BMW PGA Championship. Following Hatton, Jon Rahm came fourth, Viktor Hovland fifth and Tommy Fleetwood sixth.
Hovland promises there's more to come from him too. "I would say I'm more pleased with the result over how I was playing. I didn't make any big mistakes but I didn't really feel like I was hitting it as good as I should," he reflected.
Sepp Straka, who finished in joint-10th along with Ludvig Åberg on 12-under-par at Wentworth, is looking to be at his best at the Ryder Cup.
McIlroy only just made the cut but staged an impressive run on the final day, scoring 65 in the fourth round to tie for seventh place on 13 under par.
Who will win the 2023 Solheim Cup? Watch exclusively live this September on Sky Sports! Stream the Solheim Cup and more with NOW.
Live coverage from the opening day of the Ryder Cup begins on Friday September 29 from 6am on Sky Sports Golf, while live programming begins on Monday September 25. Stream the PGA Tour, DP Tour, Ryder Cup and more with NOW.
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