Scotland’s number one Robert MacIntyre believes he is a much improved golfer from the one who teed up at his first Open Championship at Royal Portrush in 2019.

That was MacIntyre’s debut appearance at a major and he finished sixth behind home favourite Shane Lowry.

Since then, the 29-year-old has become a top 20 player in the world rankings and heads into this week’s tournament after finishing third at the Scottish Open.

“In 2019, I felt like I was just being part of the tournament,” MacIntyre said. “I was making up the numbers. I was just seeing how well I could do in this event.

“Whereas now, I come here and I know that if I play well, I’ve got a chance to win.

“That’s all I’m trying to do. If I play the golf I know I can play, I’m going to have a chance to win come Sunday – and that’s the difference.

“In 2019, I didn’t know how good I was. I didn’t know how good I could be. I was just playing with zero expectation and had a good finish.

“Now there’s an expectation and demand on me, but it’s not pressure. I know if I play well, I’ll have a chance.”

The two-time European Ryder Cup player is making his first visit to Royal Birkdale and says it comes as no surprise the course will provide a stern test this week.

He believes the hot weather, combined with strong winds, has left the fairways running fast.

“I played nine holes, the back nine, on Monday afternoon in strong winds and it was brutal,” he added. “It’s tough but I’ve had a bit more time to work it out since then, so we’ll see.

“There’s a lot of short clubs off the tee, just to stay out of the pot bunkers, get it on the green from there and try to take your chances.

“It’s a very strategic golf course. You’ve really got to stay disciplined to your gameplan and trust it’s right.

“The ball was running out fully 50 yards on some tee shots, even with a six or seven iron. Some guys will flip a coin and go with driver anyway, but then you run the risk of bunkers and all the other trouble.

“For me, hitting greens in regulation is the key, so it’s about playing smart golf and hitting fairways.”

The only other Scot in the 156-strong field is Ayrshire’s Jack McDonald.

The 33-year-old came through qualifying at Dundonald Links three weeks ago and will be playing in his second Open Championship after making his debut at Royal Troon last year.

McDonald decided not to pursue a full-time career on tour and now works as a trainee PGA professional at Whitecraigs Golf Club on Glasgow’s south side.

“I made a decision last year that I wasn’t going to pursue the kind of tour life,” McDonald said. “I don’t know if that would change or not, potentially.

“But I don’t know. I just need to wait and see. Respect to them. They’re absolutely amazing at what they do. I wrote down the pros and cons and then I made that decision.”

MacIntyre and McDonald know each other well, having played together on the Challenge Tour, and Scotland’s number one hopes the country’s representation at future Open Championships will be much stronger.

“It’s a shame that there aren’t more of us,” MacIntyre said. “But I’ve seen Jack a few times. I’ve travelled with Jack quite a bit on the Challenge Tour, so we get on great.

“Jack’s obviously gone to work at Whitecraigs, taking a different avenue now, but he’s a great guy and a great player.”