A week after the 2025 Ryder Cup, the members of the winning European team continue to form well beyond the pond. On the back-to-back 66 shoulders of Carnoustie Golf Links and Kingsbarns Golf Links, Robert Macintyre will take the lead at the 2025 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
MacIntyre challenges the third round on St Andrews’ old course before the cut follows the 54 holes. In the final round of the contest, the rest of the field arrives again on the old course.
“It was almost perfect golf, and it was just a nice round, especially when the weather got in,” McIntyre said.
The wind and rainy rain caused a lot of problems for players in the second round, causing a stop during play in the afternoon, but rarely slowing down McIntyre’s momentum. In his front nine quick start, Pa’s healthy meal appeared to close his first nine (the second nine at Kings Burns) after he added three circles to his scorecard in the first four holes.
The weather continued on the outside half of the facility, as with Macintyre. I swapped birdies and bogies in the first two holes on the golf course, and my sturdy left hand held down the hammer and rattled three more birdies on the back nine, matching opening 33 with another. His last day of the par 5 9th was enough to give McIntyre a share of the lead.
“I golfed the ball really well,” McIntyre said. “I thought I had really good control over my flight. This is difficult when the wind gets strong. It’s difficult to hit the ball with the wind. So I had to try the wind with a certain hole and it wasn’t comfortable. But I made some beautiful shots.
Macintyre is not the only player in blue and gold to overcome the quick turnaround from Bethpage Black. British and former tournament winner Matt Fitzpatrick has continued his consistency, with only four sitting behind his teammates following the 67 and 69 rounds for Carnoustie and Kingsbarns.
Tyrrell Hutton and Tommy Fleetwood also have the chance to head into the second half of the tournament, worse than Fitzpatrick at 7 under. Meanwhile, two-time major champion Dustin Johnson was charming in opening 64 at Carnousty, but backed it up with a 77 at Kings Burns on Friday, causing his name to fall to the leaderboard.
