When you are trying to win a golf tournament, with a realistic chance of making your Ryder Cup debut in less than 12 months' time, you need as much luck as you can get.
Robert MacIntyre had the gods smiling on him in the first round of the Nedbank Golf Challenge, only for those smiles to become frowns moments later at Gary Player CC in Sun City.
Hitting his tee shot on the 8th hole, he shouted fore as it sailed to the left. The Scot's ball landed in the thick of the trees, but it rebounded out into the middle of the fairway.
Unfortunately, he went on to make a bogey but it could've been a lot worse for him. Fast-forward to the 14th hole and MacIntyre was sickened by a harsh twist of fate.
Me 1 Golf 1 #NGC2022 pic.twitter.com/PN3SXTROvK
— Robert MacIntyre (@robert1lefty) November 10, 2022
He arrowed his approach to the pin on this par-5 and his golf ball smacked the bottom of the pin and bounced into the rough surrounding the green. This led to a par when it could've been a lot better.
What do they say? Luck eventually evens out? This was the case for MacIntyre who went on to shoot a 1-over-par 73. He is currently nine shots behind Ryan Fox and Luke Donald who lead, but play has been suspended until Saturday morning due to a flooded course.
He may have to topple the European Ryder Cup captain if he is to win his third title on the DP World Tour. He made his intentions to play in the Ryder Cup clear by winning the DS Automobiles Italian Open in September.
By beating Matt Fitzpatrick in a playoff and also finishing in front of Rory McIlroy, MacIntyre won for the first time in two years and it has helped him to reach the top five of both the European and World Points Lists.
"We are a long way off from the Ryder Cup, but it’s my number one priority to get a place on that team. I was close last time, but this is what I want. My only goal for the season is to make the team, so I think I’ve made a good start," MacIntyre said at Marco Simone.
