Bob MacIntyre feared he would shoot 90 ahead of his remarkable comeback at The Open on Friday. (More Sports News)
MacIntyre found himself in trouble during the opening four holes at Royal Troon, scoring two triple bogeys as he dropped eight shots early on.
The Oban-born star went to nine under, three shots below the projected cut line as it seemed he would be unable to replicate his Scottish Open win a week prior.
However, a remarkable turn of form saw MacIntyre shoot four under for the remaining 14 holes, making it through to the weekend's action with one shot to spare.
“That was carnage," MacIntyre said. "I was actually nervous going out. I said it to the whole team. They’re like, 'Why?' Because that front nine is going to be carnage for me.
"After four holes, I was staring 90 in the face. When I made that eight on the fourth, my head was completely gone.
"I’m just thankful (my caddie) Mike managed to keep me somewhat calm once the head was going a little bit.
"Once he started to talk sense to me, I started to realise, 'You actually haven’t played that bad and you’re shooting gazillions.' That’s where we calmed down.
"I didn’t think I was going to make the weekend, but Mike said. 'Look, fans are here to watch. Just give them what they want, severe dig and fight' - and that’s what I did.
"I just tried my best and managed to turn it around"
On a day when Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau and Tiger Woods all missed the cut, MacIntyre left the home fans heading home happy as he joined amateur Calum Scott and Ewen Ferguson in the next round.
Asked if he’d been able to pull off such a ‘Great Escape’ a year ago before playing in a winning Ryder Cup team and winning twice on the PGA Tour, he replied: “No, I'd have been gone.
"I'd have been in my car already and up the road. The attitude has been massive for me the last 12, 15 weeks. It’s been superb.
"I’m just proud of the way I fought, making this cut, especially after last week.
"The support I had out there was unbelievable. I felt like I was letting everyone down, not just myself, but my team and the fans.
"But it was just about fighting and they helped me a long way."
