Rickie Fowler ‘glad’ to have helped Bob MacIntyre win Rookie of the Year

Rickie Fowler, centre, is flanked by Bob MacIntyre and Rory McIlroy in their headline group at this year's ASI Scottish Open. Picture: Bruce White/SNS

The pair met in a 14-club challenge filmed by the European Tour in the build-up to the Rolex Series event at The Renaissance Club then found themselves in the same group for the opening two rounds at the East Lothian venue along with Rory McIlroy.

In a low-scoring event, MacIntyre missed the cut, as did 2015 winner Fowler, but the young Scot used the experience of being in such exalted company to finish joint sixth in The Open at Royal Portrush the following week and went from strength to strength in the second half of the season.

“Bobby,” said Fowler, smiling, when he was asked by The Scotsman about MacIntyre having been crowned as the Rookie of the Year, the first player from the home of golf to achieve the feat since Marc Warren in 2006.

“I hadn’t heard a whole lot about him before meeting him at the Scottish and playing with him for two days. He is definitely an impressive ball-striker. He showed he could hang, hit all the shots and had plenty of power.

“He definitely impressed me. He has earned the right to be out there and now he has also earned the right to be Rookie of the Year.”  MacIntyre has since admitted it was the most nervous he has felt in his life when his name was announced on the first tee as he made his Scottish Open debut alongside two of the top players in the game.

“It is definitely a different feel when you play with guys like Tiger [Woods] and Phil [Mickelson] and guys who have been to world No 1 and won majors,” added Fowler as he recalled his own experience of being in that situation. “It is a little bit different, especially when it is your first year.

“I think it probably helped Bob that Rory and I are pretty easy going and we enjoy playing with anyone. We had a great time with him and he stepped up and played some good golf. I am glad that he got a lot out of it.” As had been widely expected, the Scottish Open is heading back to The Renaissance Club next year, with European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley saying recently that he expects a tougher test for players second time around. On a rain-softened course and with little or no wind the entire week, Austrian Bernd Wiesberger claimed the coveted title with a 22-under-par total, which led some players, including McIlroy, to claim it had been “too easy” for a tournament of that calibre.

“I didn’t think it was necessarily an easy golf course,” said Fowler, who claimed his title triumph in the event at nearby Gullane. “There are definitely some holes that are very get-able but, with it being soft and there not being much wind, it didn’t have a chance of showing what the course can do.

“If it was dried out and playing firmer and faster in 10-15mph wind, it is plenty to make it a test. It really played more like a parkland course this year than a links course.”

Whether Fowler will be back next summer to try and regain the title is up in the air at the moment, especially with the leading players facing some tough decisions again due to a congested schedule, which also includes the Olympics in 2020.

“Some of it is going to depend on what is going on Olympic-wise. I’d love to have the chance to do that, though I currently have some work to do in the world rankings,” said the 30-year-old Calfornian, who is on duty for the US this week in the Presidents Cup in  Australia.

“I have always enjoyed playing the week before The Open when I can. I’d love to be able to do it again next year but, if the schedule doesn’t allow that, I may not be able to.”