Bob MacIntyre happy to put Oban visit and shinty game on hold for The Players

Scot admits he’s been struggling to stay ‘sane’ in US but is ready to make big push for The Masters

A much-needed trip home to Oban and an equally-anticipated game of shinty will have to wait. Bob MacIntyre has been handed a huge opportunity after securing a spot in this week’s 50th anniversary edition of The Players Championship and he’s determined it will lead to a third Masters appearance in a month’s time.

By his own admission, MacIntyre has been battling to stay “sane” since setting up a base in Orlando in January after being among ten players to secure PGA Tour cards this year through the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai last season, hence why he was excited about the prospect of crossing the Atlantic to see his family and also turning out for his beloved Oban Celtic before a sudden change of plan.

“Yeah, it was a bit of a surprise,” the 27-year-old told The Scotsman at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach in Florida of securing a spot in this week’s $25 million event along with compatriot Martin Laird. “I didn’t actually know about it until last Wednesday. I actually thought I was flying home back to Oban and have a week chilling out there with friends and family and a wee game of shinty as well. But we’re here now.”

Bob MacIntyre looks on from the practice area prior to The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Picture: Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images.

And he’s definitely not complaining. Not when you look at that huge prize pot. Not when you look at the weighty world ranking points up for grabs. And not when you are talking about this being golf’s so-called fifth major, having been won by some of the game’s greatest players since Jack Nicklaus triumphed in the inaugural edition at Atlanta Country Club in 1974. “These are the events you want to be playing in against the best players in the world, so I am delighted to be here,” declared MacIntyre.

It should come as no surprise to anyone who knows him that the two-time DP World Tour winner and member of Europe’s triumphant team in last year’s Ryder Cup in Rome has found adjusting to life in a new environment a big challenge, having never hidden the fact that he’s at his happiest when it’s home soil under his feet and, in addition to some events in the US, he’s also been in both Mexico and Puerto Rico in recent weeks.

“It’s been different,” he admitted with a smile. “My girlfriend, Shannon, has taken leave from her work to try and make it as normal as possible for me and keep myself sane, to be honest, as it’s difficult. When I came over here in 2021, I played seven or eight weeks in a row during Covid and a lot happened in that time with family back home as it was the worst thing ever, to be honest.

“This time it has felt long and I had my dad (Dougie) out for a week and some of the team out in between. It’s just tough. It’s a different lifestyle and different cultures and it’s taken a bit of time getting used to. I spoke to Erik van Rooyen (the South African who won on the DP World Tour before becoming a double champion on the PGA Tour) and he said he is just starting to feel at home now and he’s been out here for five years. So it’s going to take a bit of time for me.

“It’s trying not to look at it as a negative. The only reason I am out here is to play golf. I’m never going to fully move to America as it’s just not the way I live my life. I love home; I love Scotland. But I’m here to get better at the game of golf and, to be honest, it’s doing that. At Isleworth, where I’m practising, there’s a golf course, the driving range is unbelievable, the short-game facilities are unbelievable, there’s a gym and, while it may surprise some people, I’ve been in there a lot! Everything is on your doorstep and there is no excuse not to do it. Whereas back home in Oban (at Glencruitten Golf Club), I’ve got a 200-yard practice facility and no chipping area. I feel like the opportunities out here are endless.”

Recent results, which included a top-ten finish in the Mexico Open, have certainly helped put a spring in his step for a second appearance in this event, won by Sandy Lyle back in 1987. “Since coming out here, I feel my tee to green game is as good as it’s ever been - it’s been absolutely mustard for me,” insisted MacIntyre. “I changed the majority of my equipment. I’ve got new irons, a different driver and I’ve been dabbling with putters.

“I changed ball after the Ryder Cup after seeing the guys I was competing again. I was hitting good shots and they were hitting good shots but they were far closer to the hole as the ball was stopping for them. That’s the reason I decided to sit down with my team and discuss changing the golf ball. From there, we took little steps to almost investigate why my golf ball wasn’t stopping. We changed lofts on irons and bounce on irons. To be honest, I took a deeper dive into equipment than I have ever done. I just need to tidy up the putting, which I’m in the process of doing.”

Needing to break into the top 50 before the final cut-off for invitations on 1 April, MacIntyre currently sits 70th in the world rankings and is now committed to playing seven weeks in a row in his bid to be back at Augusta National again after being bitterly disappointed to miss the season’s opening major last year.

“Unless I have a big result somewhere, I’m going all the way to the Valero Texas Open,” he declared. “That (The Masters) is the end goal, but I can take care of that this week and, if I do, I could probably take two weeks off and come back in the Valero Texas Open. The world ranking points we have on offer out here this week is outrageous, so it’s in my hands. If I can play some good golf and hole some putts, I can be there.”