The Open: Patience is the key as Robert McIntyre chases the Open title

“Then I knew I just had to try and take advantage of the par five. It’s going so fast, the fairways are moving so fast that it doesn’t matter what club you’re hitting – any bunker is in play.

“I probably hit more drivers than I thought I would, but you have to take the shot. It has to be high, low, left to right, right to left — it doesn’t matter.

“You have to pick the right shot to soften it up. It was free-wheeling golf.”

McIntyre had to wait until the 14th hole for his first birdie of the day after going one over.

Scott admitted the round could have easily slipped away before finishing at four under for the championship.

“It was a tough putt on 14. I didn’t hole any real putts, but it was a great putt. It was a real mover, it was going way down the hill.

“So it was OK not to make a mistake. I missed the left green on 16, pin high. I thought it was a bit of a mistake, but you have to have faith in the short game because you can deal with any shot. It was a nice bump-and-run there.

“It’s a great place to be. I couldn’t have asked for a better position after starting today. It was nice to grind out the round, finish at one under for the day and go again tomorrow.”

Earlier in the day, Herbert and Sam Burns carded eight-under-par 62s to match the lowest round ever recorded in a men’s major.

McIntyre said he wasn’t surprised to see the best players in the world take advantage of scoring opportunities.

“Unbelievable,” he added. “I said it to some of the guys, it doesn’t matter.

“They worry about par scores and how hard the golf course is, but these guys are the best in the world.

“If they’re on their game, they’ll shoot the lights out. I thought one-under-par was a hell of an effort – eight-under par is outrageous.”