YES SIR, BOB CAN BOOGIE!
MacIntyre marched to his own tune at Masters... and a grateful nation is ready to follow in his footsteps
ROARING along to Scottish sport’s newly adopted kitsch anthem as he freewheeled down Magnolia Lane on the way out of Augusta National, Robert MacIntyre showed the world that he knows how to make an exit, as well as an entrance.
Yes sir, he can boogie. More importantly, the 24-year-old can also play with a boldness, bravery and brilliance that promises to keep this once-great golfing nation captivated for years to come.
If you haven’t yet seen the video of the young Scot and his team bellowing out Baccara’s 70s classic — while being politely directed towards the exit at arguably the most prestigious golf club on the planet — do check it out.
It’s every bit as entertaining as the clip of his pre-tournament arrival, accompanied by the distinctive strains of the Gunna Sound Ceilidh Band.
In a grim old world, we should all revel in the mischievous sense of humour MacIntyre brings to the serious business of professional sport.
And appreciate how lucky we are to have this kid flying the Saltire in the world’s biggest tournaments.
As well as guaranteeing an invitation to next year’s tournament, the left-hander’s 12thplaced finish on his Masters debut confirmed his status as a rising star among the game’s elite.
For the first time in a very long time, perhaps since Paul Lawrie’s 1999 Open triumph during that lengthy Colin Montgomerie era of close-run things, it feels as if Scotland has a player capable of regularly competing in the majors.
Courtesy of that 72nd-hole birdie on Sunday night, he now holds the distinction of the best Scottish placing at Augusta since Monty bagged a tie for 11th in 1999. He did it all with a sense of exuberance that extended all the way to the sing-song on his way home.
‘I decided all the music… until maybe the last one on the way out,’ admitted MacIntyre, when asked about the choice of an unlikely Tartan Army favourite for his Augusta swansong. ‘I thought about doing Gunna Sound again but Stoddy (manager Iain Stoddart) suggested we used the one Scotland had when they qualified for the Euros.
‘We obviously all went mental in the car. We actually did well to stay calm for the intro part of the music. Everyone was so excited about what was going on.
‘I was worried I was going to get stopped for holding my phone up to the windscreen as I was driving. I don’t know what the laws are like here. Back home, they would have stopped me.
‘But they just gave me a wave. Everyone’s been brilliant around the whole club, from the minute I got there until the minute I left.’
The overall Masters experience was obviously a hoot and a half for MacIntyre, who admitted to losing the plot a little when a rival’s missed opportunity meant 12th place — and that precious invitation to return next year — had been secured.
‘I had just done a TV interview and I knew Brian Harman was on 18,’ he revealed. ‘The guy had two TVs, one of them on the 18th, and I was watching that. My dad, Stoddy, Mike (caddie Mike Thomson) and everyone else were outside, not knowing what’s going on.
‘When Harman missed the putt, I just said: “See you next year, lads!”. I opened the door, ran straight out
— and they didn’t know. My dad still had the binoculars out, trying to see what was happening.
‘I jumped on Mikey’s back, giving everyone high fives. The minute you play one of these, you don’t want to miss another one. To guarantee my spot for next year is brilliant.’
MacIntyre admits to being aware, via social media, that more and more people back home were tuning in as he nibbled away at the leaderboard over four impressive days in Georgia. The most casual of armchair fans suddenly found themselves strangely interested in that tournament where the winner gets a natty green blazer.
More committed followers of golf are increasingly convinced that this guy is the real deal.
He finished sixth on his Open debut and, although the summer of 2019 feels like a very long time ago, he has also made the cut in both the US Open and USPGA.
He effectively clinched his place at The Masters by eliminating world No1 Dustin Johnson from his group to reach the knockout stage at the WGC Dell Technologies Match Play — where he finished ninth overall.
That can’t have hurt his Ryder Cup hopes. Nor will the fact that he bagged 21 birdies over four rounds at Augusta — more than any other player in the field — be lost on Team Europe captain Padraig Harrington.
With precious qualification points and just over $200,000 in the bag from his latest exertions, MacIntyre will tee it up in the RBC Heritage at Hilton Head on Thursday feeling pretty good about his long-term prospects of making it to Whistling Straits on merit.
He’d be a decent addition to the team room, demonstrating his quick wit when, on a Zoom call with Scottish media last night, he was asked about the first thing he might do when he gets home.
‘Isolate!’ he said, grinning as he added: ‘No, I’ve got another event at Hilton Head this week. There are a lot of goals still to be achieved.
‘When I get home, I’ll isolate for the days I need to isolate, then go see my friends and family.
‘I miss Oban, I miss home. But I don’t mind missing home if I’m playing The Masters. I’ll take it.’
You can take the boy out of Argyll and Bute ....
Explaining that his selection of ‘teuchter music’ hadn’t been some joke, he said: ‘I love the Scottish ceilidh music and that’s what I’d be listening to anyway. It was just that I let everyone else hear what I was listening to on the way in.’
Asked if he had a tune in mind for a major win, he replied: ‘That’s a bit ahead of the game. I might sing my own song! I’m just taking it day by day. What I’ve done is good. Twelfth at The Masters at the first attempt. But there is so much more I could have gained out of it. We’ll take what we can get.’
Boogie on, Bob. Boogie on.