Super Mac other than
Georgia is not on Bob’s mind
Bob Macintyre hopes all roads lead to Augusta as he prepares for his longest stint yet on the PGA Tour. The United States is the place to be for the world’s top players at this time of year, as Macintyre prepares for another exciting chapter in his burgeoning career. Having broken into the top 50 following his third place at the Dubai Desert Classic last month, it’s one big event after another for the popular Oban golfer, which he hopes will conclude with his Masters debut in April. Currently ranked 44th, Bob will tee up in the WGC event at the Concession Club on Florida’s Gulf coast, beginning on Thursday.
From there, it’s debuts all the way at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the Players’ Championship, the WGC Matchplay and then, hopefully, the big
‘
I love getting thrown in at the deep end. I feel like that is where I play my best golf
one at Augusta, where fellowlefties, Bubba Watson, Phil Mickelson and Mike Weir have all triumphed in recent times
Having been close to earning an invite last year until the pandemic wiped out this part of the season, he’s not counting his chickens just yet.
But one thing that can be guaranteed is that wherever he is playing and whoever he is competing against, it will be the same old Bob.
The courses will be new, but the 24-year-old has already shown he has never been scared of taking on the world’s best.
“I love getting thrown in at the deep end,” says Bob. “I feel like that is where I play my best golf.
“It’s when I’m fit and healthy and you get thrown in and you just have to fight for everything. I try to enjoy it and I do enjoy it.
“When you are put in with the top guys in
the world, you realise you can compete with them. I have seen that quite a few times now. It’s a question of letting it all happen.”
It has been a meteoric rise for Macintyre, given that he has only been on the European Tour for just over two years since graduating from his inaugural Challenge Tour season at the end of 2018.
A tournament winner following his success in Cyprus
last November, he is Scotland’s No. 1 as well as the top-ranked left hander in world golf.
His route to the big time has been faster than he imagined. But he has no plans on slowing down.
“I’m ahead of where I thought I would be, I’m not ahead of where I want to be,” the Scot declares.
“I thought I would be on the Challenge Tour for two years and in the second or third year, I would be pushing for my
European Tour card.
“But everything happened so quickly and you just have to ride the wave.
“I’m ahead of where I can be, but if I had got over the line, I could have won a number of times already. That would have put me in a completely different place. But that’s golf – you can’t win them all.
“I’m comfortable with where I’m at right now. It’s another step in the right direction for me and
there’s a long way to go in my career.”
Macintyre’s string of fine performances and down-toearth manner have won him a host of new fans as his name has become a familiar one on tournament leaderboards.
He has his own style on the course, and he is determined not to change off it as he climbs the golfing ladder and becomes a role model to budding players both in Scotland and around the world.
“I’m just trying to be me,” he admits. “You are not seeing a different side to me whether I’m at home or on the golf course.
“The only different side is when I’m on a shinty pitch and the adrenaline is really running high!
“I just try to play as good golf as I can. I work hard at it though, it’s not something that comes by luck. I put the hours in and so do the people around me.
“There are kids out there who will look up to me and it’s about trying to put on the right show for them.
“I do try to stay calm as much as I can, but you can’t be Mr Nice Guy all the time. I’m trying to win golf tournaments and sometimes you have to be ruthless.
“As a leftie, you’re doing it differently to everyone else, but remember there’s no right or wrong way of doing things in golf.
“It’s about enjoying yourself and as I always say: ‘Do it your way’.
Find the right fit for you and you’ll enjoy the game of golf.”