“I've got a lot on my mind” - Robert MacIntyre discusses Ryder Cup spot amid his strong start to the D+D REAL Czech Masters

Robert MacIntyre said he was pleased with his first round at the 2023 D+D REAL Czech Masters as he eyes a spot in the European Team for the upcoming Ryder Cup.

MacIntyre shot 6-under 66 on the first day at Albatross Golf Resort, Prague, to finish at T7. His first round consisted of six birdies, four of which came back-to-back on holes 8 to 11.

Speaking at the post-round interview on Thursday, MacIntyre reviewed his performance. He said, as per Golf Monthly:

"I'm delighted with the round. I was hoping for that after last week. I felt like I drove it well, iron play was good and I putted decent. I've got a lot on my mind, a lot going on and I've just got to keep fighting."

Besides MacIntyre, several Ryder Cup hopefuls such as Nicolai Hojgaard, Yannik Paul, Ludvig Aberg, Adrian Meronk, and a few more are participating in this week's event. In order to earn an automatic spot, the 27-year-old Scotsman will need a win and hope that his rivals don't make it to the top 5.

As of now, only Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, and Viktor Hovland have qualified for the 2023 Ryder Cup via the European Points List. The rest of the automatic spots will be filled after the conclusion of the Omega European Masters next week.

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How did Robert MacIntyre perform in the second round of the D+D REAL Czech Masters?

After a flying start on Thursday, MacIntyre was eyeing another solid round at the D+D REAL Czech Masters. The golfer was doing well until the 16th hole, sitting at 3-under with the help of four birdies and a bogey. However, on the par-3 16th hole, he ended up making a quadruple bogey, finishing the round at 1-over.

Alexander Bjork shot 6-under 66 in the second round to aggregate at 13-under after 36 holes. Nicolai Hojgaard, who shot 67 on Friday, is one stroke behind Bjork.

After scoring a 70 on day 1, Matt Wallace shot 63 in the second round, while Sami Välimäki carded a 70 after posting a 63 on Thursday. Both are tied for third after two rounds.

Here's a look at the leaderboard for the 2023 D+D REAL Czech Masters after two rounds:

• 1. Alexander Björk: -13
• 2. Nicolai Højgaard: -12
• T3. Matt Wallace: -11
• T3. Sami Välimäki: -11
• T5. Todd Clements: -10
• T5. Ludvig Aberg: -10
• T5. Ryo Hisatsune: -10
• T5. Pedro Figueiredo: -10
• T9. Edoardo Molinari: -9
• T9. Wil Besseling: -9
• T9. Alexander Knappe: -9
• T9. Maximilian Schmitt: -9
• T13. Adrian Meronk: -8
• T13. Yannik Paul: -8
• T13. Victor Perez: -8
• T13. Freddy Schott: -8
• T13. Nick Bachem: -8
• T13. Yannick Schuetz: -8
• T19. Antoine Rozner: -7
• T19. Julien Brun: -7
• T19. John Axelsen: -7
• T19. Alex Fitzpatrick: -7
• T19. Marc Warren: -7
• T19. James Morrison: -7
• T25. Francesco Molinari: -6
• T25. Julien Guerrier: -6
• T25. Jiří Zuska: -6
• T25. Victor Dubuisson: -6
• T25. Jc Ritchie: -6
• T25. Fabrizio Zanotti: -6
• T25. Jorge Campillo: -6
• T25. Niklas Nørgaard: -6
• T25. Hennie Du Plessis: -6
• T25. Santiago Tarrio: -6
• T25. John Murphy: -6