Robert MacIntyre experienced a moment of public frustration during the first round of The British Open on Thursday, exclaiming "Such a s–t golf hole" after hooking his approach shot into the stands on the 18th hole at Royal Birkdale. Despite the outburst, MacIntyre recovered with a skillful up-and-down to save par, maintaining his position near the top of the leaderboard.
MacIntyre, who had a strong start to the tournament, finished the day tied for third place at -3, alongside American golfers Bryson DeChambeau and Alex Smalley. Daniel Brown and Im Sung-jae led the field at -4. MacIntyre's round included four birdies, one bogey, and 13 pars.
The Royal Birkdale course has been a point of discussion among golfers leading up to the tournament, though the 18th hole was not the primary focus of concern. The 15th hole, a downhill par 3 playing 241 yards with a narrow landing zone and significant hazards, had drawn particular attention for its challenging nature, especially in gusting winds.
This is not the first time MacIntyre has expressed strong emotions on the course. He was previously reprimanded at the 2026 Masters for gesturing towards the 15th green after a quadruple bogey. At that time, he told Sky Sports that while he knew his actions weren't ideal, he wears his heart on his sleeve and works on controlling his emotions. He indicated that comments from outside his inner circle of family, friends, and team do not faze him. As of the time of publication, MacIntyre had not issued an apology for the hot mic incident at The Open.