​SOUTHPORT, England — It’s coming home? We’d better whisper that one after a certain World Cup result the other night.For the Scots, the sight of Robert MacIntyre in the upper reaches of the leaderboard on day one of the 154th Open was just about as easy on the eye as an injury-time winner from Argentina. To my readers from the other side of Hadrian’s auld fence, I’m only joking.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMacIntyre’s canny 3-under 67 over the sun-seared Royal Birkdale links was a purposeful statement of intent as he made a sprightly start to his bid to become the first Scotsman to land the Claret Jug since Paul Lawrie got his paws on it back in 1999.1 / 5Matthew Baldwin tees off on the first hole on day one of the The 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale on July 16, 2026 in Southport, England.(Andrew Redington/Getty Images)It was, by and large, a polished display of poise, precision and patience. “I felt like it was almost a perfect round of golf,” said MacIntyre.Pesky pests, meanwhile, were dealt with swiftly. Before MacIntyre had even teed off, one of those humming camera drones flying above him had to be politely told to you-know-what. The gizmo just about fell foul of the R&A’s new code of conduct.“I could hear it coming in, and I’m like, ‘please just keep flipping over the top of me’, but it just sat above me,” said MacIntyre of this birling, twirling technological nuisance.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“Then they announced me on the tee, and I said, ‘I’m not hitting until that drone is out of the way’. I don’t know who spoke to it, but someone did. I knew from the practice days this was going to be a real test of my patience, a real test of my mind, and I thought I did a great job.”The job was a good ‘un. From the off, MacIntyre, who shared third in last week’s Genesis Scottish Open, was quickly into his stride. A mighty birdie putt of some 45-feet on the first was a rousing opening salvo.Robert MacIntyre waits to putt on the 18th green during the first round of The Open Championshi 2026 at Royal Birkdale.His putter didn’t have to do much on the second, mind you. He knocked his approach to within a foot and tapped it in for another birdie.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMacIntyre leaked his only shot of the day on the eighth but a brace of birdies coming home, which included another raking putt of 40-feet on 12th, a good par save on 15 and a tidy up-and-down to salvage par on the 18th put the tin lid on a good morning at the office.The Oban man certainly enjoyed parrying and jousting with a menacing foe. “I think I showed great discipline and I was very, very cautious off the tee,” added MacIntyre, who has three top-10 finishes on his Open since a debut outing in 2019. “I enjoy it when I’ve got a fight. I’m not just fighting the golf course, I’m fighting myself, I’m fighting with Mike (his caddie).“It’s a grind. It’s one of the hardest links courses I’ve ever pl