'I now know that I can win a major' - MacIntyre

Bob MacIntyre was sick with nerves on his way to finishing runner-up at the US Open but says the way he handled the occasion gives him the belief he can win a major.

"I now know that I can win one of these," the 28-year-old Scot told BBC Sport as he prepares for this week's Open Championship at Royal Portrush.

"Before, I thought I could, but I'd never shown anything that had shown that I can. Yes, I've had a few top 10s in majors, but I was never there over the final few holes.

"Oakmont was the first time I'd had that feeling. On the 16th, I was thinking 'I can do this, it's here for the taking'."

MacIntyre started his final round in Pennsylvania in a share of ninth place but was tied for the lead after 14 holes - only for JJ Spaun to conjure up a glorious closing stretch to prevail by two shots.

"I thought I played beautifully and it's just knowing that it's there," MacIntyre explained. "Okay, it didn't happen, but it's knowing we've got that in the locker when I need it.

"Things were happening that were completely new to me. It was different, but I was expecting it. Yes, there were nerves, but it was exciting. You're shaking, feeling sick. I played the last three holes in one under par feeling like that.

"If the cards had fallen my way, I'd have won the US Open, but JJ was better than me over 72 holes.

"It was close and we pitch up here with the same thought of trying to win The Open. It makes me really think I can win a major. It's a reality, not just a dream."

The left-hander from Oban already had two top-10 Open finishes, including joint-sixth on his debut when the tournament was last at Portrush in 2019.

Last year's Scottish Open victory showed he can win on a links course against elite opposition.

MacIntyre may have cut a frustrated figure at the weekend as the defence of that title proved disappointing, but the "old school feel" of Portrush has his juices flowing again.

"Yes, it's been lengthened in time, but it's just the dunes enclosing the holes," he explained. "You've got the visuals off the tees and then you've got the weather. That can be absolutely brutal, as we saw in 2019. As a championship golf course, I think it's spectacular."

MacIntyre, who will play the first two rounds with Justin Rose and Bryson DeChambeau, is one of four Scots in the field, with Daniel Young and amateurs Cameron Adam and Connor Graham all making their Open debuts.

"I'm sure they'll pick my brains out there and, if they want to ask me questions, not a problem, I'm there for them," he said of his compatriots.

"They've all got my number, but if they don't want to ask me questions, I'm not going to force things down them, try and make them change."