A RECORD-BREAKING crowd has cheered Robert MacIntyre on to victory at the Genesis Scottish Open.

Thousands lined the fairways at The Renaissance Club from Thursday to Sunday as Scotland celebrated a home winner at its national open for the first time since the turn of the millennium.

On Monday, the DP World Tour confirmed that the total attendance over the four days was 76,024 – up by nearly 3,000 from last year, when 73,117 attended the tournament.

Jamie Baker, East Lothian Council’s service manager for economic development, congratulated the winner.

He said: “It was amazing to see yet another nail-biting finish and the reaction of the huge crowds to this popular home winner was absolutely fantastic.

“This prestigious tournament has once again helped to boost the profile of East Lothian – Scotland’s Golf Coast.

“I’m sure all the spectators had a great time and enjoyed our county’s hospitality.

“Despite the weather not being as warm as in some previous years, East Lothian still looked spectacular on the TV footage so I’m sure the Genesis Scottish Open will attract future visitors wanting to sample our golf offering and our beautiful coast and countryside.”

READ MORE: PICTURE GALLERY: Scottish Open 2024 at The Renaissance Club

MacIntyre’s victory came 12 months after he was agonisingly pipped to the title by Rory McIlroy.

The four-time Major winner holed birdies on the last two holes to finish one shot ahead of MacIntyre.

However, it would be the Oban golfer celebrating on Sunday when he finished one shot ahead of Adam Scott and a further stroke in front of Romain Langasque to become the first home winner of the Scottish Open since Colin Montgomerie in 1999.

Malcolm Duck, chairman of Gullane Area Community Council, which also covers Aberlady and Dirleton, felt that the event had gone “really well” and hailed it as being among the top six events in the year. He said: “All the marshals from all clubs and the area come out to help.

“The work they do, the camaraderie and the work put in to make the tournament work behind the scenes was massive.”

This year’s event was the seventh consecutive year the competition has been played in East Lothian.

Brandon Stone was the winner at Gullane in 2018 before it made the short trip east to The Renaissance Club the following year.

The tournament has become a favourite spot for golfers ahead of The Open, which is this year being played at Royal Troon.

The world’s top golfers will again tee off in East Lothian next year, with it already confirmed that the Scottish Open will be played in the county until at least 2026.

Councillor Jeremy Findlay, who represents the area on East Lothian Council, was full of praise for the competition and what it brought to the area.

He said: “Firstly, congratulations to Robert MacIntyre for winning, it is always good to have a home winner.

“It was a great event for East Lothian and showcases the golf product and the hospitality product that we have here. It is not only golf but accommodation, restaurants and bars and everything else.

“The hospitality industry has been hit by a lack of staff and it is good to have a large event to show that East Lothian is open for business.”