Patience key as MacIntyre stays in hunt for Open title

Patience key as MacIntyre stays in hunt for Open titleImage source, SNSImage caption, Robert MacIntyre finished the second round high on the leaderboardByBrian McLauchlinBBC Sport Scotland Senior ReporterPublished1 hour agoRobert MacIntyre says patience was the key to his second-round 69 at the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.Scotland's top golfer, playing in his seventh Open, said the hot, windy conditions made for a stern test on the Lancashire links as he finished four strokes behind the clubhouse leader, New Zealand's Lucas Herbert."It was very much patience and discipline with the game plan," he said. "I was tested early on. "I was getting hot under a few of the mistakes I felt like I was making, but I hung in there and I knew that around the turn was going to be difficult with the wind being out the right for me."It's not the nicest wind to play in, so I was kind of fighting that.The Open round two: Scheffler, DeChambeau and Fleetwood climbing, Rose battling to make cutTwo record-equalling 62s at The Open - and two different reactionsPublished4 hours ago"Then I knew I just had to try and take advantage of the par fives. It's getting so fast, the fairways are running so fast that it doesn't matter what club you're hitting - any bunkers are in play."I probably hit more drivers than I thought I was going to, but you have to pick the shot. It's got to be high, low, left to right, right to left - it doesn't matter."You've just got to pick the right shot to land it softer. It was free-running golf."MacIntyre had to wait until the 14th hole for his first birdie of the day after turning in one over par. The Scot admitted the round could easily have slipped away before he finished on four under for the championship."It was a difficult putt on 14. I hadn't holed any real putts, but it was a great putt. It was a real mover, it was moving a lot down the hill."Then...