Could Southern Hills be just the spark for Bob?
Bob Macintyre sets off across the Atlantic this morning, bound for Tulsa’s Southern Hills to contest the year’s second Major, the US PGA Championship.
The hottest player on the planet at the moment, America’ s scotties c he ffl er, landed the first biggie last month by donning the Masters Green Jacket at Augusta.
Macintyre and Scheffler are contemporaries, having both played in the 2017 Walker Cup between the USA and Great Britain & Ireland at Los Angeles Country Club, when Bob was actually the higher-ranked player.
The 25-year-old from Oban has yet to miss the cut in any Major he has contested as a pro, in itself an impressive statistic.
However, it has been an up-and-down season so far for the Scot, something he is quick to acknowledge.
“Confidence is a massive thing, and at the moment I feel I am just needing a result to really start me going again,” the everhonest Macintyre admitted.
“But that is golf. Sometimes you are up, and sometimes not so.
“When I first came out on Tour, I felt unstoppable. Everything I touched was just brilliant, whereas just now I feel like I have hit a wee bit of a stumbling block.
“Confidence wise, that’s hard. It does get you down a wee bit.”
At last weekend’s British Masters at The Belfry, Macintyre thrilled the crowds at the four-time Ryder Cup venue on the Friday as he closed out his second round with five birdies from his last six holes.
However, come Saturday’s third round, it was a very different story.
Feeling he needed to press if he was going to be there at the sharp end of the tournament, the Scot was tempted into having a crack at the iconic 10th hole – where the tee had been moved up – only to make a double-bogey six.
Then, to make matters worse, he followed that up by signing for a triple-bogey seven at the very next hole, and any hopes he had of figuring in the shake-up were gone.
“I went chasing on the Saturday, and had a disaster,” Bob admitted.
“If I had realised the winning score was only going be in the 10 to 12-under-par bracket, then I maybe wouldn’t have chased.
“So at times like that, it is about playing your own game and accepting what you can deliver rather than the outcome. Ultimately you can’t control the outcomes.
“But I am looking forward to the challenge of another Major Championship, and I’m feeling good.”