ROBERT MACINTYRE

2019 was the year Robert MacIntyre announced himself to the golfing world. In his debut season on the European Tour he clocked up seven top-10s, including three runner-up finishes. He came T-6 in his major debut at The Open, becoming the first Scotsman since Colin Montgomerie to finish in the top-10, came 11th in the Race to Dubai and was named European Tour Rookie of the Year. Recent winners of that award include Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka, and we wouldn’t be at all surprised if young Bob follows them to even greater success.

1

Did your season on the Challenge Tour prepare you for the European Tour? It made me the player I am today. I learned how to travel on my own. I learned how to spend time in my own company. I missed the cut in my first four or five Challenge Tour events and I was thinking, ‘Am I good enough?’ I then changed a couple of things. Greg [caddie Greg Milne] came on the bag, and the two of us learned our way on the Challenge Tour. We are still going to make mistakes. We are both 23 years old. We’re young. We’re learning. But things are going in the right direction.

2

You mentioned Greg, but how important is having a team around you? It’s why you play golf. I couldn’t do it without the support of everyone, from Mum, Dad, my manager, obviously the swing guru himself, David Burns – he’s changed my game, night and day. When I went to see David, two-and-a-half years ago, I couldn’t hit a driver on the planet. Now we’re stepping up with drivers, hitting them as hard as we can and we know roughly where they are going to go. After every round, we sit down and reflect on what’s gone on, and we learn from it each week and each day.

Family is everything. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them giving up so much time. My dad is a greenkeeper; he works two jobs. My mum previously worked three or four jobs. Now she’s starting to cool it down a wee bit, which is nice. It’s been down to them and they have given me the chance. Now I just thank them so much.

3

Was there a moment when everything clicked? The week between Morocco and the British Masters. We were in Morocco, missed the cut, and I pulled out of the China event the following week. I wasn’t enjoying golf. Everyone knows I wasn’t enjoying golf.

I didn’t even want to be playing golf, if I’m honest with you.

So I took the week off, went and played some shinty, and that made me realise what life was about. It was an away game on the bus with the boys, enjoying ourselves, and it made me realise that the job I’m doing isn’t a job. You’re doing it because you enjoy it, and that’s the mindset I’ve had since then. It made me realise, don’t find it a chore. Go and enjoy it, every day, every week. That’s what I’ve done, and here we are.

4

You’ve settled quickly among the game’s elite. Did you ever feel nervous playing alongside golfers you’d grown up watching? It took guts to challenge Kyle Stanley for not shouting “fore”... I said at the start of the season that I wouldn’t really know I was on the European Tour until I played with a star. It was Ernie [Els]. On the first tee in Johannesburg, I could barely get the ball on the tee, I was that nervous. But the real starstruck moment had to be with Rory and Rickie at the Scottish Open. It was on home soil and everybody was behind me. That’s what you play for – I want to be at their level.

As for Kyle, I wasn’t happy with what happened. It was into the crowd from the word go and he was just standing there watching it. It hit Greg’s mum. I told him how it was and he didn’t really like my response. There were harsh words. It wasn’t too pleasant. But you’ve got to tell him it’s not right. He didn’t take it well at all.

5

What are your goals now? I’ve been shooting at the top-50 in the world recently. We’ve fallen just short, but last season has opened up doors for me. It’s opened up WGC events. If I keep doing what I’m doing on the golf course, it’s a matter of time.