The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
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Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek last month.
MacIntyre said: “Before I played those events I would have bitten your hand off two top 15 finishes.
“But in the battle, felt they were three great opportunities.
“I was right in the mix at the Hong Kong Open but I let it slip with 13 holes to go and ended up finishing tied 57 th. I was really disappointed and then I missed the cut in Australia when I didn’t play well. for
I“But in South Africa, my caddie and I felt tied 15th was the worst I could have finished with the way I played.
“The ball just wasn’t going in with the putting but I can’t be disappointed with two top 15s.”
MacIntyre played alongside Ernie Els in both tournaments in South Africa, which proved to be a memorable experience for the 22-year-old.
He said: “After I played that first round with Ernie Els, I sat down that night and said to myself ‘Wow, look where we are now’.
“It was a bit of a shock to the system for someone from a small town like Oban to achieve what I have.
“It is not just delight for me but it is delight for my family and everyone.
“Other than getting a win under my belt, I couldn’t have asked for a better year but hopefully that will come.
“It is a big thing for me to respect where I have come from.
“The support I get from the town is great, especially from the golf club.”
Golf hasn’t always been the priority for MacIntyre, who played shinty for Oban Camanachd during his teenage years.
He said: “Until I was 16 or 17, golf wasn’t everything in my life.
“That was when I put everything else aside and started giving golf 100%.
“I played shinty at a good level until I was 17 and football until I was 16.
“I have always loved golf but it was never full-on until more recently.
“If I had a shinty match then golf would take a back seat.
“It has always been relaxed. I have never been pushed to go and golf.
“In one of my last shinty games, a friend broke his thumb and that was when I realised I couldn’t afford to get a pin in my hand and decided to go all out with golf.
“But the hand-eye co-ordination for golf has come from shinty.”