Robert MacIntyre bounces back from poor spell to beat Matt Fitzpatrick in play-off to win Italian Open

Robert MacIntyre threw down a Ryder Cup marker by beating Matt Fitzpatrick in a play-off to win the Italian Open. The tournament's venue, Marco Simone Golf and Country Club, will play host to the Ryder Cup in little over a year — and it will witness high drama if the final day of the Italian Open is anything to go by.

Ad Rory McIlroy and Fitzpatrick were in the field to get a sighter, as well as to win, and they were expected to fight things out after starting the final round at the top of the leaderboard. DS Automobiles Italian Open'It is a big motivation' — Molinari has sights trained on home Ryder Cup spotA DAY AGO But it was MacIntyre who surged from three behind overnight leader Fitzpatrick to force a play-off and out-duel the US Open champion to claim a brilliant win — his second on the DP World Tour.

MacIntyre went on a blitz midway through the front nine, with three birdies in a row from a combined putting distance of under six feet as he peppered the flags in stunning fashion. The Scot — who came into the week with major worries about his game after a poor run of form — got a bit ragged during the back nine, but two birdies in his final three holes set the target at 14-under.

Fitzpatrick — who came within inches of an albatross when hitting the pin on the 12th — was at 14-under on the 17th, but a wayward tee shot cost him a bogey and left him needing a birdie on the 18th to force a play-off. The pressure of a final hole does not worry Fitzpatrick, as his win in the US Open showed, and he got down in two from the front of the green for a birdie to take it to a play-off.

The players went up 18 for the play-off and it was a tale of two tee shots. Fitzpatrick’s drive found thick rough on the left — he seemed