READY TO DO IT THE HARD WAY
MacIntyre primed for a war of attrition on a baked Augusta course
THERE remains a feeling that Dustin Johnson’s recordbreaking victory at the Masters last November should perhaps have a small asterisk placed next to it.
Not in the sense of trying to diminish his achievement in any way. Johnson richly deserved his first Green Jacket, finishing five shots ahead of the field after a display of unrelenting brilliance over the four days.
But, with the tournament being played so late in the year as opposed to its usual slot in spring, Johnson’s record-low score of 20-under par was undoubtedly aided by favourable conditions.
The greens were soft and receptive. Players could fire a five-iron straight at the pin and still get plenty of zip on the ball to make it stop on the dancefloor.
It was target golf, exactly the sort of set-up in which the man known as DJ has been so dominant in recent times, dismantling it with ease.
In short, it was a totally different game from that which Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre and the rest of the players will encounter at Augusta this week.
Conditions are firm and fast, not a million miles from what we would typically see at a US Open, and the greens have been baked to a crisp in the hot Georgia sun.
For MacIntyre, making his Masters debut, it is naturally a time of great excitement as he prepares to tee-off this afternoon.
Patrick Reed (above), champion of 2018, has been a knowledgeable companion in practice rounds and MacIntyre has struck up a friendship with the American star.
The Scot will play alongside another former champion and fellow lefty, Mike Weir of Canada, over the first two days, along with CT Pan of Taiwan.
MacIntyre believes it would be foolish to expect a repeat of Johnson’s birdie blitz witnessed a few months ago. Instead, this will be a war of attrition over the next four days. According to the Scot, Augusta has got its teeth back.
Asked if he expects the winning score to be lower this time around, he replied: ‘Yes, it’ll be seriously lower. It was a lot softer a few months ago and the ball was spinning. Patrick (Reed) was telling me it was a lot softer.
‘You’re not stopping anything on these greens unless it’s a wedge. Me and Mikey (MacIntyre’s caddie) stood at the back of the 18th green on Tuesday. We just stood and watched some balls coming in. Only Tony Finau held the green out of the group of three players. ‘Everyone else was landing it short or pin-high, and it was just taking one bounce and going over the green. ‘If you’re coming into the green with a long club, the ball just ain’t stopping. The greens are brick-hard. Later on in the day, it obviously gets even firmer. ‘I am trying to learn as fast as I can because if you don’t, you have no chance. That’s part of the challenge. That’s part of why we were here early — to prepare as well as we can.’
If the hot weather persists and the greens are allowed to dry out further, there could well be parts of Augusta National which play more like a links set-up come the weekend. Should that happen, MacIntyre will be licking his lips, given his outstanding track record in links golf as an amateur.
While stopping short of setting an official target, MacIntyre clearly likes what he has seen from the course thus far.
It suits his eye, as it so often does with left-handers. Since Weir’s victory in 2003, fellow lefties Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson have racked up another five Masters wins between them.
‘For a left-hander with a fade, the course is absolutely perfect,’ said MacIntyre. ‘But you’ve still got to hit the shots and still got to hole the putts.
‘I can see how it suits a lefthander visually. But it’s the man who hits the least bad shots that is probably going to win this week due to how firm the greens are.
‘Accuracy is going to be rewarded this week. You can’t be in the rough. If you hit a bad tee shot and get in position Z, you are walking away with doubles and triples because of how quick the greens are.’
What about the most famous entrance to any golf club anywhere in the world?
‘Driving down Magnolia Lane was brilliant,’ said MacIntyre. ‘It’s a little boy’s dream and I finally got the chance to live it.
‘Not many people get that chance to drive down there at the best of times, never mind getting ready for the Masters.’
The last player to win on their Masters debut was Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979. MacIntyre knows it will be difficult to replicate that.
But he certainly intends on giving it his best shot. There is a steely desire and self-belief to the 24-year-old, as evidenced by his excellent run at the WGC Match Play last month.
His progression to the last 16 in Texas saw him finish top of his group, effectively knocking out world No1 Johnson along the way after halving with the big-hitting American.
That earned him a certain level of respect on his first venture on the PGA Tour, something which is at the heart of his growing friendship with Reed.
‘I played the front nine with Patrick in a practice round,’ explained MacIntyre. ‘It was great, I get on well with him.
‘I’ve got on well with Patrick since I first played with him in Turkey in my first season on the European Tour. It’s more a respect thing. I gained his respect early on because I played well. I feel like that’s what you’ve got to do with the top guys.
‘He’s been great with me. Anything I need to ask him, I can ask and he’ll give me advice. Around this place, he’s not got a bad record, has he?
‘He knows where — and where not — to go. Just little hidden things, little secrets. It’s been great and we’ll definitely use them this week.
‘I’ve not been pinching myself. At the end of the day, I have worked hard to get here. It’s not as though I’ve just woken up and got lucky.
‘It’s my first time here, so you’re not really expecting too much. But I’m here to compete and to give myself a chance to win on Sunday.
‘If I play the way I know I can play, then I don’t see why not.’