“I’m going to celebrate this one hard,” Robert MacIntrye said after winning the Scottish Open. After Colin Montgomerie’s win in 1999, Scottish fans had to wait for 25 years for the emergence of another homecoming hero. But how did MacIntrye pull this off? Well, he might have to thank a certain situation for his win!

At the 16th hole, disaster struck as the 27-year-old’s first shot landed in the rough. After a practice swing, he realized that three metal spikes were touching his shoes as he was standing on a sprinkler. His caddie, Mike Thomson, confirmed the same and later called the rule official. The ruling was in his favor and he received the free drop. Seizing the opportunity helped MacIntyre overcome the three-stroke deficit and take the winner’s title from Adam Scott.

Thus, he was declared the winner as the crowd roared in unison with the champion. After his historic victory, the Scottish pro gave it a little to this miraculous free drop and said, “It was just a lucky break. You use the rules to get advantage. You stand on a sprinkler, you’re due relief. That was just the one kiss I needed.”

Why? Sprinklers are considered immovable obstructions. Hence, golf has several rules with sprinklers involved. No doubt, MacIntyre received the relief, and it turned out a great opportunity for him. Before the final round, the 2-time PGA Tour winner revealed that the Scottish Open was the one event he always wanted to win.

It’s no secret that Robert MacIntyre’s journey across the pond has not been easy. From a string of caddie changes to adjusting to the cultural differences between the American and European circuits, he has faced numerous challenges. MacIntyre has spoken about his loneliness on the PGA Tour, reminiscing about his time on the DP World Tour, “When you’re on the European DP World Tour, it’s very friendly – Everyone is together. We’re all travelling the world. If we’re struggling with certain things, we speak to folk around us.”

However, the free-drop decision was not accepted by many in the golf world. They felt it was not fair and questioned the rules, which eventually can be tracked to Jay Monahan and Co.

Golf fans get frustrated! Was Robert MacIntyre playing fair?

The USGA describes the sprinkler rule in rule 24-2b, where if a golfer’s line of play is getting disturbed due to an immovable obstruction, then they are allowed to free-relief and can drop their ball in two club lengths. And Robert MacIntyre followed the rule perfectly (to the T.) However, some fans were still not convinced. One fan stated, “So you’re telling everyone you cheated, cool.” Similarly, another person wrote, “The rules of Golf are messed up, play it as it lies, you hit it there.”

But let us look at some facts. This is not the first time the golf world has shown its disapproval of the free-drop ruling. Back in March, during the Players Championship, Wyndham Clark faced similar criticism for his free drop during the tournament’s final round.

Just two months ago, the rule official had given Xander Schauffele a free drop at the Wells Fargo Championship. It was given on a similar pretext as the 1-time major winner’s ball was outside the penalty area. The ball was beside the ShotLink tower and given in his line of play, Schauffele received the free drop in his first round. Then too, the golf world had opposed the ruling and a similar stance could be sensed now as well.

Given the fact that the free drop did not result in Schauffele winning the event, it was then brushed off quickly from the golf world’s mind. However, with MacIntyre scoring his second PGA Tour title, many have found the free relief unfair. An X user mentioned, “Seems like the most impactful egregious drop we’ve seen in a while.”

Even golf analyst Joseph LaMagna, opined, “Free drops are compromising the integrity of professional golf tournaments.”

Additionally, Rory McIlroy is also no stranger to free drop controversy, which came knocking on his doors during the 2023 U.S. Open, where he was granted a free drop after his ball was stuck in between the sand bunker and the rough.

But coming back to MacIntyre and Adam Scott, the latter was on the verge of victory, as many had expected MacIntyre to be out of contention when he reached the 16th tee. If not for the free drop, the Aussie pro probably would have won the Genesis Scottish Open and broken the 4-year-long winless streak. Nonetheless, Scott tried his best and finished runner-up only one shot back.

Although Scott was probably not angry over the rule, a fan was. “Scott was flat out cheated of a win. Bobs run was virtually over till that drop. Players have seen others get away with it now the flood gates are open. There’s no shame around bending the rules.”

“It’s not within the spirit of the game. If standing on a sprinkler is really a problem he should recreate the  (bad) lie in the nearest similar spot. But that would show fairness and integrity,” one fan opined. Now, while several fans were unhappy, there was a section that backed the golfer. After all, a rule was already established and MacIntyre simply decided to use it.

Regardless, MacIntyre is the 2024 Scottish Open winner! Do you think Jay Monahan should look into changing the rule? Let us know in the comments below.