Bob MacIntyre has wind taken out of sails by second-hole slip up at Myrtle Beach

Chasing a maiden win on the PGA Tour, the Oban man made exactly the start he was looking for in the final circuit at The Dunes Golf and Beach Club as he rolled in a nine-and-a-half footer for a birdie at the opening hole.

Coupled with overnight leader Chris Gotterup making a bogey in the match behind, it was the dream early scenario for MacIntyre in the $4 million event only for a double-bogey 6 at the second to douse his hopes of landing the title.

That setback came from the middle of the fairway and it happened at the worst possible time for the 27-year-old, who’d played his best golf as full PGA Tour card holder until that point.

As Gotterup recovered from a bogey-bogey start to turn the final circuit into a procession, landing his breakthrough win on the circuit by a resounding six shots, MacIntyre birdied the par-5 fourth but then dropped shots at the tenth and 13th.

Signing off on high, he knocking his second shot at the last to just over two feet for a closing birdie, signing for a one-over 72 to finish in a tie for 13th on 13 under.

Though not the result he was looking for after opening with rounds of 64-67-68, it was Macintyre’s best individual effort on the US circuit since finishing joint-sixth in the Mexico Open in February.

"Moving in the right direction,” wrote MacIntyre, who now turns his attention to being the sole Scot in this week’s PGA Chanpionship at Valhalla, in a post on social media that had puzzle piece emojis in it.