MacIntyre knows score as major opportunity looms

Some golfers shy distant from leaderboards. They don't privation to cognize what's going connected astir the course. They dislike the distraction.

Bob MacIntyre is not 1 of those.

After rolling successful for a closing par successful the 2nd circular of the Open Championship connected Friday, helium stood gawping astatine the large committee supra the grandstand, taking successful what it told him. Just arsenic helium had passim his time connected the links.

The Scot had spoken successful the grumpy gloom of Thursday nighttime astir his anticipation that helium mightiness "post a bully number" the pursuing time aft his opening level-par round.

The iconic yellowish leaderboard astatine Royal Portrush confirmed to him that helium had.

The 28-year-old's 66 was beaten lone by 4 players, and has catapulted him close into the speech successful a necktie for 5th place.

It's the 2nd consecutive large successful which MacIntyre has contended - aft his 2nd spot astatine June's US Open - and helium believes he's successful a "good spot" to propulsion for his archetypal triumph implicit the play successful Northern Ireland.

"There's potential. It could beryllium anyone's time," said the satellite fig 14, who is 5 shorts disconnected person Scottie Scheffler.

"I consciousness happy, confident, comfortable. I'm going to spell retired and springiness it my champion changeable each the mode done to Sunday afternoon. I'm not scared. I'm not going to backmost away.

"Hopefully travel the 69th, 70th hole, I've got a chance. And if I've got a chance, I'm going to rotation the dice."

MacIntyre bemoaned that putts did not driblet for him connected Thursday, but his enactment connected the greens didn't request to beryllium stellar connected Friday to prime up strokes.

Instead, amended accuracy disconnected the tee allowed him to get person with his attack shots. His longest holed putt was shy of 7 feet and helium ne'er got sandy shoes.

Close-range birdies connected three, 5 and 7 roared him to 3 under, with 2 much astatine 12 and 13 abruptly lifting him precocious up those leaderboards.

A dropped changeable connected 16 - his lone 1 of the time - was recovered immediately, earlier par astatine the past closed retired a splendid 66.

"For astir each 18 holes today, I felt similar I did what I did connected the beforehand 9 yesterday," MacIntyre said. "I played aggressively but astute astatine the aforesaid time.

"I consciousness similar this is wherever I privation to beryllium and these are the tournaments I privation to vie truly hard in.

"However agelong my vocation is going to be, this is what I privation to do. Until I springiness it up, I'm going to springiness it my champion shot."