RORY McILROY will be wishing that Chris Gotterup stuck to lacrosse as the American wrecked his hopes of winning a second Scottish Open.
After seeing former shinty star Robert MacIntyre succeed him as champion a year ago, McIlroy must think these minority sports players have got it in for him.
McIlroy’s overall performance bodes well for his chances at Royal Portrush this week[/caption]
Little-known Gotterup held his nerve down the back nine[/caption]
Gotterup, 25, was viewed as one of the top lacrosse prospects in the USA before concentrating on golf.
And the first sign the world No 158 made the right choice was when he won his first PGA Tour title at the Myrtle Beach Classic last year.
But going up against world No 2 McIlroy during the final round at the Renaissance Club — and shooting a four-under-par 66 to beat his playing partner by two shots — was a big leap forward.
Gotterup told Sky Sports: “It’s all hitting me. It’s just so cool. I played really well this week.
“I knew today was going to be tough and I hung in there like a champ and finished it off in style.
“I felt pretty good on the first tee today and I felt comfortable. I was playing well this week and I felt like I was ready for the challenge.
“That’s why I practise and that’s why I play, to play against the best. It was a pleasure to be out there with Rory and all the support he gets is amazing.
“But it was nice to kind of ruin that a little bit.”
McIlroy was keen to repeat his 2023 victory in Scotland and head to Portrush for this week’s Open Championship in fine form.
But after starting on the same 11-under-par mark as Gotterup — two shots clear of the rest — the five-time Major champion could never quite find his A game.
He ground out a closing 68 and was forced to settle for a share of second on 13 under with England’s Marco Penge, who matched Gotterup’s 66.
Dubliner Pádraig Harrington, 53, shot a two-over round to finish on three under in a tie for 71st.
But it was Gotterup’s day as he walked away with a cheque for £1.2million and a place at The Open.
It was a testament to McIlroy’s Houdini-like ability to escape from scary situations that he was still snapping at Gotterup’s heels at the business end of the round.
RORY REACTION
The Holywood star produced a superb up and down to save par at the seventh hole, where he found a bunker off the tee and could only splash his ball out sideways.
He was still over 200 yards away from the flag with his third.
But he crunched it to 20 feet and putted in for an improbable four.
His par save at the 11th was even more dramatic. McIlroy’s tee shot finished behind a tree and he had to turn a lofted club upside down to hack his ball back on to the fairway.
This time the magic number was 151 yards and when his ball stopped nine feet from the flag the roars suggested the sell-out crowds expected another par. And they were right.
But that putter was not proving quite so reliable when McIlroy was putting for birdie and Gotterup proved a worthy winner.
The Masters champion was not dwelling on his mistakes, though.
McIlroy said: “It has been a great week. I’ve got what I wanted out of it.”
Meanwhile, Leona Maguire came seventh at the Evian Championship in France. The Cavan golfer, 30, was three shots off leaders Grace Kim and Jeeno Thitikul on 11 under. Kim won the play-off.
