MacIntyre, 28, birdied his opening two holes and three over the inward nine in a rock-solid three-under 69 in bright and breezy conditions at Ponte Vedra in Florida.
The Scot headed to the clubhouse sharing sixth place in the £19million Players Championship as American Lucas Glover set the early pace with a six-under 66.
Glover, using a long-handled putter for a first career occasion in his 18th Players, brilliantly birdied his last four holes. Scots star MacIntyre's effort displayed all the worth of winning twice on last year's PGA Tour. It was in stark contrast to a year ago at Sawgrass when he missed the cut by eight shots.
Oban's favourite golfer got this year’s round underway, holing a birdie putt of eight feet at the first and then draining a three-footer at the second.
MacIntyre said: "I got off to a perfect start and then had a wobble in the middle.
"I had to compose myself and get back to hitting fairways and greens. I managed to do that on the back nine and give myself chances. I took a few of them but left a few out there.
"To be honest, a three-under-par round here is a good score, no matter what day you are playing."
It was a solid day one for MacIntyre, who hopes to make Luke Donald's European team, the defending champions, for the Ryder Cup in New York.
And the Scot said: "I've always dreamed of playing in the Ryder Cup and was fortunate enough to make it to Rome.
"Once you've played one Ryder Cup, you never want to miss another one. I want to be there at Bethpage as badly as ever and I feel l...
The Scot headed to the clubhouse sharing sixth place in the £19million Players Championship as American Lucas Glover set the early pace with a six-under 66.
Glover, using a long-handled putter for a first career occasion in his 18th Players, brilliantly birdied his last four holes. Scots star MacIntyre's effort displayed all the worth of winning twice on last year's PGA Tour. It was in stark contrast to a year ago at Sawgrass when he missed the cut by eight shots.
Oban's favourite golfer got this year’s round underway, holing a birdie putt of eight feet at the first and then draining a three-footer at the second.
MacIntyre said: "I got off to a perfect start and then had a wobble in the middle.
"I had to compose myself and get back to hitting fairways and greens. I managed to do that on the back nine and give myself chances. I took a few of them but left a few out there.
"To be honest, a three-under-par round here is a good score, no matter what day you are playing."
It was a solid day one for MacIntyre, who hopes to make Luke Donald's European team, the defending champions, for the Ryder Cup in New York.
And the Scot said: "I've always dreamed of playing in the Ryder Cup and was fortunate enough to make it to Rome.
"Once you've played one Ryder Cup, you never want to miss another one. I want to be there at Bethpage as badly as ever and I feel l...
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Daily Record (Digital) - 1 Issue, March 14, 2025