No Fairytale of New York after Bob misses major cut for the first time
A philosophical Bob MacIntyre said he “stopped counting how many over par he was” after missing the cut for the first time in a major.
The Oban man fell well short of the cut line at the PGA Championship after hitting back-to-back rounds of 76 to end the tournament a disappointing 12 over par.
The 26-year-old struggled with his game from the first swing of his driver on Thursday as he became one of a number of top level pros who toiled with the demanding Oak Hill set-up.
Bob had declared himself fit and raring to go two weeks after he was forced to withdraw from his Italian Open defence with a back strain, but was punished for some missed putts and loose iron shots as battled to tame the Rochester course.
MacIntyre, who has openly declared a place on Luke Donald’s Ryder Cup team as his main goal for 2023, believes he can still force his way into the conversation for the European team ahead of the September showdown with the USA, but knows a quick upturn in form will be required to catch the captain’s eye.
He said: “It’s an absolute brutal golf course, but I am disappointed with the way I scored. I didn’t play as bad as the score reflects, but the way it was set up you couldn’t get away with not being on your game.”
The missed cut was MacIntyre’s first in ten major appearances and he was philosophical about his showing.
He added: “I just hit a couple of loose shots at the wrong time. If I had hit them on other holes, I would have got away with them. There’s a couple of things I need to work on, but I don’t feel too bad, to be honest. I stopped counting how many I was over par by the end, but I’m not as angry as people would expect me to be. I’m just disappointed not to make the cut. I just didn’t hole a putt outside six feet.”
Although he will be disappointed with his overall showing, big-hearted Bob won plenty of fans for his efforts to support the My Name'5 Doddie Foundation - the charity set up by late Scottish rugby legend Doddie Weir to help find a cure for motor neurone disease.
As well as carrying the cause’s name on his bag, Bob said he would donate £500 for every birdie, and £1,000 for every eagle at Oak Hill, a gesture which was matched by his long-term sponsor Arnold Clark.
Bob said: “Doddie was a huge personality on and off the pitch and will always be loved and respected far beyond the rugby world. As a fellow Scot, he was inspirational and I count myself fortunate to have known him and loved the support he gave me.
“I was very proud to help the charity over the two days I played.”
American Brooks Koepka held his nerve during Sunday’s final round to see off a spirited challenge from Viktor Hovland and a charge from world number two Scottie Scheffler to capture his fifth major title with a score of nine under.