MacINTYRE KEEPING IT LOW-KEY, UNLESS TIGER CALLS
OPEN debutant Robert MacIntyre has pledged to be his own man at Royal Portrush — unless Tiger Woods asks him for a game.
The Oban left-hander, who has taken the European Tour by storm in his rookie year, does not know quite what to expect when he arrives in Northern Ireland tomorrow.
But the 22-year-old, who was runner-up at both the British Masters and the Made in Denmark tournament in May, is determined not to significantly alter his usual routine following discussions with his management team about what awaits him.
He said: ‘I usually like to arrive at a tournament on the Monday, so that I can get in two practice rounds because normally I’m not in the pro-am on the Wednesday.
‘But we’re changing that because there’s no pro-am, so I’ll get there on Monday night, practise Tuesday and Wednesday and then just go for it.
‘There’s no one that has sprung to mind as to whom I’d like to ask for further advice. I’ll not go out of my way to speak to the big names, for example.
‘Neither am I going to go looking for a practice round with Tommy Fleetwood or someone like that which would put me in a different environment.
‘I’m just going to do my own thing, maybe try to get a game with James Sugrue, who I’ve played amateur golf with. But, obviously, I’d have to play if Tiger asked me — though the chances of that happening are slim!
‘I want to keep it as low-key as I can. That’s just the way I do things. I like it nice and quiet so I can just go about my business.’
MacIntyre (right), of whom great things are expected, is clearly a creature of habit not given to being pressurised by others into doing things he does not consider paramount to achieving success. Take his fitness regime, for example. While many of his contemporaries have turned to the gym, MacIntyre is keen to avoid the risk of becoming muscle-bound. He said: ‘I do a bit with the exercise band, when I’m on the tour, but you won’t see me lifting heavy weights — maybe lifting Tunnocks teacakes instead! ‘I tried the gym when I was an amateur but the support I got for that wasn’t the greatest, so I don’t see why I would change anything. ‘Maybe if I get to a certain level and think I’ve hit a barrier, I’ll see what I need to change.’ While he is quick to get angry with himself, MacIntyre betrays no signs of being prone to public outbursts.
‘Don’t get me wrong, I get seriously angry on the golf course,’ he confessed. ‘But I have worked on that with my coach and it’s just like thinking about hot coal, you are not going to keep hold of it once it’s past you. Once it’s done, it’s done.
‘At my last British Amateur, at St George’s the year after I lost in the final in 2015, I was losing the plot and didn’t want to be there.
‘After that, we just started to think about different things and that has been one of the main reasons why my golf has got a lot better. It’s because of my temperament.’
That amateur final defeat he alluded to cost MacIntyre the chance to play in both the Masters and The Open.
He added: ‘I was heartbroken, especially at missing the Masters. For any golfer, that’s the one you would love to go to.
‘But if I could choose one to win, it would be The Open. I thought I might not get that shot again, so to finally get the opportunity makes all the practice worthwhile.’