Why golf, Bob MacIntyre and Scottish success takes edge off turning 60

On the day I’ve turned 60, I’m wishing I was half that age and it’s all down to golf because the sport really has brought me so much happiness through not just writing about the game but also the friendships it has spawned.

At a wee birthday bash on Saturday night, the guests included a number of people I’ve got to know over the years through golf, including players, club CEOs and general managers, people who work for governing bodies and fellow journalists.

They’ve all become valued friends and I particularly love the fact that I first met a couple of those people when they were both leading amateurs around 30 years ago, with one still heavily involved in the game and the other with lots to offer if he can ever be persuaded to do likewise.

Bob MacIntyre high fives a young fan during the final round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee. Picture: Mike Mulholland/Getty Images.

That’s really been the beauty for me of getting to cover this great game in its birthplace in the best way possible by first coming across players when they are emerging talents.

I’ve heard it said on more than one occasion that Scottish golfers get coverage that sometimes isn’t merited, but that’s nonsense because success at any level deserves to be recorded and I, for one, will continue to do my best to do exactly that when it comes to tartan triumphs both at home and abroad.

In the case of every single Scottish player who currently holds either a PGA Tour or DP World Tour card, I’ve written about their careers since they were amateurs and, in each and every one of those individuals, have loved watching them climb the ladder.

As was the case with Paul Lawrie, having first come across him when he was playing on the Tartan Tour before going on to become a major winner and two-time Ryder Cup player. As was the case with Stephen Gallacher, having been at Crieff, for instance, when he won the Scottish Boys’ Stroke-Play Championship in 1991. And as was the case with Catriona Matthew, who was still Catriona Lambert when I wrote the first of countless stories about her equally brilliant career.

For me, there is nothing that beats getting my teeth into a good tartan tale and, right now, there can be no denying that the person doing an absolutely brilliant job in flying the Saltire on the global stage is Bob MacIntyre.

It was on 8 May this year that I felt a bit worried about the Oban man, having listened to him on a video call set up for a Genesis Scottish Open Media Day and instantly thinking that he wasn’t himself, writing that he’d seemed to have lost his mojo. In fairness, that was partly because MacIntyre has been brilliant with the media in recent years and it was crystal clear that he was struggling to adapt to life on the PGA Tour and living in the US.

Just over three months later and, boy, does the 28-year-old have a bounce back in his step and what he has accomplished in the interim is definitely a contributing factor to making me feel I was a lot younger because it’s starting to seem as though he might only be getting started as far as what he can achieve in the game.

Landing a breakthrough win on the PGA Tour with his dad Dougie caddying for him in the RBC Canadian Open then holing a birdie putt on the final hole to become the first home winner of the Genesis Scottish Open since 1999 had already made it a fairytale first full season on the US circuit for the left-hander, but he’s not finished yet.

A tie for seventh place behind former Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama on Sunday in the FedEx St Jude Championship in Memphis saw MacIntyre climb from 17th to 12th in the FedEx Cup Standings heading into this week’s BMW Championship, the second of three Play-Offs and he’s definitely now secured a spot in the 30-man field for next week’s season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta.

There’s no denying that both Scottie Scheffler, with six big wins, including The Masters, and double major champion Xander Schauffele have had standout seasons and MacIntyre is still a bit behind them in terms of being a global star. But, at the same time, he is edging ever closer to moving into that next bracket and for him in particular but also his huge army of fans in Scotland that is very exciting indeed.

That goes for me, too. The clock may be ticking as far as my own career is concerned, but I am certainly going to enjoy writing about MacIntyre in the foreseeable future, but not just him. For instance, I loved reporting recently about Aidan Lawson winning the European Young Masters and he could be Scotland’s next superstar. I’m also excited to see what lies ahead for the likes of Calum Scott and Connor Graham, as well as Hannah Darling and Lorna McClymont.

As well as the players, I’ve got to know mums and dads, brothers and sisters, wives and husbands over the years and those relationships are equally special when you bump into them, which is another reason why hitting 60 is a tad demoralising, though, apparently, it’s the new 40!

I have to admit that my own golf as far as being a senior is concerned hasn’t even started, meaning the last decade has been wasted in that respect and one day I will indeed try and make up for some of that lost time on that front.

For now, though, I’m happy to focus on having the privilege to write about this great game and what a tasty start to working life in my 60s with an AIG Women’s Open at St Andrews to cover this week, when I’ll enjoy spending time with lots of old friends and hopefully make some new ones as well.