MacIntyre knows score as major opportunity looms

Some golfers shy away from leaderboards. They don't want to know what's going on around the course. They dislike the distraction.

Bob MacIntyre is not one of those.

After rolling in for a closing par in the second round of the Open Championship on Friday, he stood gawping at the big board above the grandstand, taking in what it told him. Just as he had throughout his day on the links.

The Scot had spoken in the grumpy gloom of Thursday night about his hope that he might "post a good number" the following day after his opening level-par round.

The iconic yellow leaderboard at Royal Portrush confirmed to him that he had.

The 28-year-old's 66 was beaten only by playing partner Bryson DeChambeau and former champion Brian Harman, and has catapulted him right into the conversation.

It's the second consecutive major in which MacIntyre has contended - after his second place at June's US Open - and he believes he's in a "good spot" to push for his first victory over the weekend in Northern Ireland.

"There's potential. It could be anyone's time," said the world number 14.

"I feel happy, confident, comfortable. I'm going to go out and give it my best shot all the way through to Sunday afternoon. I'm not scared. I'm not going to back away.

"Hopefully come the 69th, 70th hole, I've got a chance. And if I've got a chance, I'm going to roll the dice."

MacIntyre bemoaned that putts did not drop for him on Thursday, but his work on the greens didn't need to be stellar on Friday to pick up strokes.

Instead, better accuracy off the tee allowed him to get closer with his approach shots. His longest holed putt was shy of seven feet and he never got sandy shoes.

Close-range birdies on three, five and seven roared him to three under, with two more at 12 and 13 suddenly lifting him high up those leaderboards.

A dropped shot on 16 - his only one of the day - was recovered immediately, before par at the last closed out a splendid 66.

"For almost all 18 holes today, I felt like I did what I did on the front nine yesterday," MacIntyre said. "I played aggressively but smart at the same time.

"I feel like this is where I want to be and these are the tournaments I want to compete really hard in.

"However long my career is going to be, this is what I want to do. Until I give it up, I'm going to give it my best shot."