2020: A year like no other Covid-19, wrist injuries and a change of caddie
When Robert MacIntyre made his World Golf Championship debut in China in November 2019, little did he know that his very creditable top-20 finish would be one of the final sporting events played before that country went into lockdown as the first news of the Covid-19 pandemic started to filter out to the wider world.
There was a certain inevitability that, as the European Tour tried valiantly to continue in the face of the virus, eventually this most global of games would grind to a halt. The Tour bowed to the inevitable after the Qatar Master at the beginning of March and would not restart – in an incredibly restricted environment – until mid-July.
After the euphoria of his 2019 Rookie of the Year Season, Bob spent the festive period recovering from the wrist injury that had been niggling him in the latter half of the season. A later-than-scheduled return saw him tied for eighth in the Dubai Desert Classic and it looked like normal service had been resumed. However, the three subsequent tournaments before the inevitable lockdown, saw the Oban star struggle for consistency.
It would be almost five months before competitive golf returned for Bob, with the WGC event in Memphis giving him perfect preparation for his US Major debut at the USPGA the following week in San Francisco. His eventual finishing position of tied 66th can be put in context when you realise that his two fellow left handers – and multiple major winners – Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson, both finished one shot behind Bob.
Having played and competed in such exalted company, Bob’s return to the European Tour in late August was expected to see him start to move up the rankings and compete for his first victory. However, it was not to be, as sluggish performances in Wales and Andalucia saw him finish well down the field. September did however see him compete in his third major, the notoriously tough US Open at Winged Foot in New York. With only the eventual winner Bryson DeChambeau finishing under par, Bob did brilliantly to make the cut and finish in the top 60.
The glamour of the US Open was to be the final time that Robert would work with his long-time caddie Greg Milne. Calling it “one of the hardest decisions of his life”, Bob explained: “It was just the time was right to change. Not just for me but for Greg. The two of us were, I don’t know, almost getting stagnant in what we were doing. We almost spent too much time together.” He went on to say: “I’m at a stage in my career that I can go two ways; you can either go back into the pack or you can take off and get into the top 50 in the world. That’s obviously where I want to be. I don’t want to be just in a pack. I want to be a standout. I want to be up there competing in majors.”
In Greg’s place came experienced Fifeborn caddie Mikey Thomson. A man who had carried the bag for former world number one Brooks Koepka when he was emerging on the European Tour. It seemed like a perfect match and their partnership got off to a solid start with a tied 14th finish at the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open. The most promising aspect of this was Bob’s recovery from a poor opening round to produce three sub-70 rounds. Bouncing back from disappointing rounds is often the first sign of a new caddie having a positive influence.
Unfortunately, the next tournament saw Bob finish well down the field followed by a withdrawal after the opening round of the Scottish Championship. Bob was in danger of falling out of the world’s top 100. It was time to regroup and take a break.