Bob MacIntyre ditches US base and explains Oban commute decision for PGA Tour

Bob MacIntyre, the RBC Canadian Open champion, will be commuting from Oban as he chases more glory on the PGA Tour after deciding to ditch his Orlando home.

The 27-year-old, who has been based in Florida since securing a card for the US circuit this season, revealed his plan for the two-year exemption his win last month secured on the eve of the Genesis Scottish Open in East Lothian.

Speaking at The Renaissance Club, where he was denied by Rory McIlroy’s birdie-birdie finish 12 months ago, MacIntyre said: “My rent is up, I think, about the end of August, and I don't think I'll be getting it renewed, to be honest.

Bob MacIntyre autographs for young fans during the Genesis Scottish Open Pro-Am at The Renaissance Club. Picture: Andrew Redington/Getty Images.

“I've joined Isleworth (one of the top clubs in Orlando). That will always be a place I go and practise in the wintertime, but there's nothing like home. Scotland is my home and this is where I want to be.

“I'm still going to play over there. Nothing at all is going to change. I'm not going to pay a lot of money for a rent that I'm not staying in. Nothing is changing. Just the rent.”

MacIntyre had toyed with the idea of travelling back and forth from Oban after being among ten DP World Tour players to earn spots on the PGA Tour through last season’s Race to Dubai.

He then decided to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Ryder Cup team-mates Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry and Tyrrell Hartton by setting up a base in the US only to quickly discover that being away from home for lengthy periods of time wasn’t for him.

“I'll maybe take a house for maybe a month, two months when I'm there,” he added. “It's just the wintertime. I mean, winter in Scotland is not the prettiest. So if I want to compete against the best in the world that are practising in good conditions, good weather, yes, I've got the opportunity to do that.

“I think Hawaii is the first event of the season, starting on 2 January, so there's going to be a time where you have to go out to the US for maybe a month, which is probably fine.

“But I don't want to do that (have a semi-permanent base) for the rest of my life when I realised that I like coming back to Scotland. It's not a big thing as the only thing I'm changing is I'm not going to be paying a lot of rent.”

MacIntyre produced a wonder shot at the 72nd hole 12 months ago to put himself on the brink of becoming the first home player to win the Scottish Open since Colin Montgomerie in 1999 only to be denied by an equally spectacular blow from McIlroy as he finished birdie-birdie.

A plaque has been laid on the spot where McIlroy hit his 2-iron on the par-4 18th and, though he hadn’t spotted it in his pro-am round, MacIntyre joked: “I don't think I'll ever forgive him if I don't win a Scottish Open.

“It was an incredible golf shot he hit. That was a winning shot, really. I think he thought he had missed the putt and obviously it kept going and went straight in and it was a bit heartbreaking.”