Robert MacIntyre: US Open level-par round ‘up there’ among Scot’s best

“I mean, it’s in the top 10 of rounds that I’ve played. It’s just so hard. Honestly, it’s just every shot is like you’re on a knife edge.

“But, overall, honestly, I don’t know if it’s good or bad to say after a level-par, but that’s almost as good as I’ve got.”

American JJ Spaun set the pace with an early four-under par round, but MacIntyre is not expecting many to match such an “incredible” score over the next three days.

“I know that it will get tougher, but a level-par round today, if you shoot four level-par rounds, you’re walking away with a medal and a trophy- I’m sure I’ll take that,” he said.

MacIntyre could have been in an even better position had he not bogeyed the 18th, but his consistency from the tee underpinned his excellent start.

“I played absolutely beautifully, to be honest, off the tee, because that’s where the real punishment is and that’s as good as I can drive the golf ball,” he said.

“I wasn’t really hitting long drives. I wasn’t trying to hit long drives.

“I was just trying to stay in the short stuff and manufacturing shots, whether it was 3-wood, whether it was driver, just try to hit the shape that I needed to find the fairway.

“I’ve never played a golf course as hard – the most demanding I have ever played and I’ve played Royal Lytham.”