Bob MacIntyre backs ‘superhuman’ Tiger Woods for a Masters miracle

For Bob MacIntyre, Tiger Woods is golf’s standard bearer and the prospect of teeing it up at the Masters alongside the five-time winner is something akin to the holy grail for the Scot.

The man from Oban finished tied for 12th on his Masters debut last year, a startling performance which secured a return invitation to the 86th edition of the tournament which begins on Thursday.

Speculation has been rife in recent days that Woods could also be at Augusta National this week in what would be a comeback of epic proportions.

It has been 14 months since the car crash which almost led to his right leg being amputated after the 46-year-old suffered open fractures to the upper and lower portions of his tibia and fibula in the single vehicle accident.

Tiger Woods celebrates on the 18th green after winning the Masters in 2019. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

The recovery process has been slow and painful but Twitter was ablaze last week when plane-trackers spotted Woods’ private jet heading toward Augusta.

He duly played a practice round with his son Charlie and Justin Thomas and, according to the Golf Channel's Rex Hoggard, Tiger’s golf game is “all back”.

“He’s almost superhuman,” said MacIntyre. “He’s doing everything that he can. He loves the game of golf. For me personally, he’s created the world of golf we’re playing in now - the prize money, the way the golf tournaments are set up.

The vehicle driven by golfer Tiger Woods lies on its side in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, following the crash on February 23, 2021. (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)

“I get that the older guys like Jack Nicklaus gave him the opportunity but, for me, Tiger created the environment we’ve got now. You just need to look at the hype he’s brought. As soon as that plane took off from Georgia, there were guys following it on plane trackers. He creates a different hype that no-one else can.

“How cool would it be to play Augusta with Tiger Woods?

“Hopefully he can play and hopefully he can get round. He’s giving it his best shot as you can see. He’s doing everything he can and he’s done everything he can in his career to win golf tournaments.

“Who knows, but I think it would be the greatest thing to ever happen in sport if he was to come back and win this one.”

Bob MacIntyre finished tied for 12th on his Masters debut last year. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Much as he admires him, you suspect MacIntyre would take playing alongside him in his stride. The Scot is about to take part in his eighth major and has made the cut in the previous seven. He says he feels comfortable playing “the tougher courses”.

“I think because the golf courses are tougher they demand more of your long game. If your tee to green game is solid the majority of the time then you are going to have a bigger chance because the courses are more demanding.

“Last year at the Open I snuck in just, holing a good putt at the 18th to get me in. Other than that, I feel comfortable playing the tougher golf courses, as much as they can beat you up if you’re off your game.”

MacIntyre may have just made the cut at Royal St George’s but he finished tied for eighth, making it two top-ten finishes out of two at golf’s oldest major.

“If you’re on your game, it’s there for the taking and I feel like I’ve had the right prep,” he said of his build-up to the Masters. “Every now and again you don’t [have the right prep] because you’re flying to America or whatever and you can’t play the week before. But if I can prepare for the week and do the right things then I feel great going into golf tournaments, even though they're the biggest tournaments.”

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