World No. 17 Bob MacIntyre has openly criticised the US Open course setup at Shinnecock Hills after a difficult third round saw him card a 73. Playing in sustained 30mph gales, MacIntyre finished the day seven over par for the tournament, expressing frustration with the United States Golf Association’s pin placements.
The challenging conditions severely impacted scoring across the field. Of the first 46 golfers to complete their third round, only Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo managed to finish below par. MacIntyre highlighted the slow pace of play as an indicator of the course’s difficulty. He stated: “‘That can tell you all you need to know. I mean, if we’re playing an , which it starts getting like out here, some of the pin positions are just, to be honest, a bit ridiculous.”
His specific concerns focused on the 11th hole. MacIntyre argued that the pin position on this par-three was unsuitable given the high winds. “‘The pin on 11, it’s only a pin position if it’s flat calm or calm enough. I mean, it’s blowing 30 mile an hour across that green,” he explained. He projected a high scoring average for the hole, adding: “‘The scoring average on that par three is going to be over four. I mean, it’s the best golfers in the world and, yeah, it’s carnage.’”
Looking ahead to Sunday’s final round, MacIntyre issued a warning to the organisers regarding the course’s integrity. He stressed the necessity of watering the greens if the strong winds persist across Long Island. “‘I mean, my weather forecast was to be breezy but start dying down – they’ve got to hope it starts dying down, or it’s going to be carnage. If this place starts getting firm, and this winds up, it’s going to get silly,’” MacIntyre concluded. His comments suggest potential for further increased course difficulty if conditions do not soften.
