The Masters: Bob MacIntyre explains what's on the menu - 'I just had a couple of truffles' - and why Jenga is keeping him calm

Forget Pimento Cheese sandwiches or Peach Cobbler. The MacIntyres may have moved temporarily from Oban to Augusta, but it still feels like home in son Bob’s rented house in Augusta.

Referring to his late arrival on Sunday after being on a charter flight from Texas with fellow Masters competitors, he said, smiling: “I went in at 11 o’clock and my mum had mince and tatties waiting for me.”

Due to the time of day, mum Carol’s cooking on this occasion wasn’t necessary, at least in terms of a main dish. “I just had a couple of truffles,” added MacIntyre, still smiling.

In all seven of his major appearances so far, the 25-year-old has made the cut, including two top-10 finishes in The Open and a tie for 12th on his Masters debut last year. On most of those occasions, he’s had family members around him.

Bob MacIntyre putts on the 12th green as Sandy Lyle looks on during a practice round prior to the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club. Picture: David Cannon/Getty Images.

“My mum and dad (Dougie) are here, as well as my sister Gillian – Nicola, my other sister, couldn’t make it – and Thomas,” he said of Clan MacIntyre this week.

Thomas has been fostered by MacIntyre’s parents and accompanied Carol to Hillside to see Bob finish eagle-birdie to finish joint-second in the Betfred British Masters in his rookie season on the DP World Tour in 2019. Just under three years later, he’s starting to take in being part of an exciting journey for the whole family.

“It’s creating memories for these kids,” said MacIntyre. “This is one of the most special places on the planet for me. I had goosebumps on the 14th fairway on Monday and I said that to Mikey [Thomson, his caddie]. It’s where every golfer wants to be and we are lucky to be here and I am glad that I can share it with people who are close to me.”

In return, spending time with the family’s foster children has helped keep MacIntyre in a calm state of mind since setting out on his career and that continues to be the case.

“Yeah, all the time,” he said, with Jenga set to be on the cards in that rented house this week. “Last year, when we went on our tour of America we had Jenga and we found it again this week, having left it in the same house last year,” revealed MacIntyre. “So Jenga is back this week.”

MacIntyre played nine holes on Monday with 1988 winner Sandy Lyle. He then joined former US Open champion Lucas Glover and Matt Fitzpatrick to play the front nine on Tuesday morning before practice was suspended for the day as a storm swept in.

On spending time with Lyle, he said: “I met him last year at Sawgrass and it’s good to pick the brains of these guys. He’s played this over and over and over again and it’s just little things he sees like angle changes and little shots he sees.

“He likes to play a belly edge around the greens because the grass is sticky. It’s little things like that that make you think about what you are doing.”

MacIntyre has St Andrews-based Amateur champion Laird Shepherd, as well as 2011 winner Charl Schwartzel, for company in his opening round on Thursday, while Lyle is out just before him in a two-ball with US Mid-Am champion Stewart Hagestad.

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