In the here, there and everywhere birl that’s par for the course as a touring golfer, there are moments for a bit of downtime.
After a hectic spell of competition on US soil, Robert MacIntyre is kicking back on a holiday in Nashville.
We’re not sure if a night at the Grand Ole Opry rouses his musical senses quite like a ceilidh in the Glencruitten clubhouse but you never know.
Even when you’re on holiday, of course, there are still those pesky media duties to fulfill.
As the reigning Genesis Scottish Open champion, MacIntyre dialled in to the Renaissance Club in sun-soaked East Lothian yesterday for a remote chinwag about July’s domestic showpiece.
How time flies. Two years ago, MacIntyre was pipped to the Scottish title by a single shot as Rory McIlroy conjured the kind of rousing finish that grandstands were invented for.
Twelve months ago, MacIntyre shoogled those same grandstands to their foundations with a thrilling finale of his own to claim the title by a stroke and become the first Scot to win the national crown for 25 years.
“With the heartbreak the year before with Rory, you think that was potentially your only chance,” he reflected of his famous win. “But to have the same chance the next year was incredible. And to finally get over the line was a dream.”
The party that followed could’ve rivalled the lively excesses of Nero’s soirees. Nero, though, didn’t have to pitch up at an Open Championship a couple of days later.
Here in 2025, MacIntyre believes his emotional Scottish Open success last year can have benefits for his preparations for an assault on the Claret Jug at Royal Portrush.
“I think my priorities change,” he reasoned. “When I pitched up at the Scottish Open, it was all about winning the Scottish Open.
“Taking nothing away from the Scottish Open, but I can almost prepare better for The Open because the monkey is off my back.”
Talking of mischievous metaphorical primates, the aforementioned McIlroy got a sizeable one of his own back recently when the Northern Irishman finally completed the career grand slam with a tumultuous triumph in the Masters.
MacIntyre had arrived at Augusta with high hopes of mounting a strong challenge himself, but the 28-year-old missed the cut and watched the stirring denouement on the tele.
“Watching that, I was a golf fan, 100 per cent,” he said of the epic viewing experience as McIlroy flirted with glory and despair on an epic back-nine before edging out the valiant Justin Rose in a play-off.
“When he went three ahead, I thought, ‘right, no disasters’. Then it all unfolded.
“That (the career grand slam) is as good as it comes in the game of golf, other than passing Tiger's record and Nicklaus's record. When I was watching it, it was the highs and lows of golf. Rory had it all in the space of probably six holes.”
McIlroy will be at the vanguard of Europe’s quest to win the Ryder Cup for the first time on American turf since 2012.
The countdown to this year’s clash of the transatlantic titans at Bethpage Park in New York is tick-tocking away and MacIntyre is desperate to be a part of it again after a winning debut in Rome two years ago.
“At the Ryder Cup, you’ve got to have Rory all-singing and all-dancing,” said MacIntyre of his European team-mate’s talismanic qualities.
“The way he is playing now is ideal for him. I’ve got so many big events coming up and if I play good golf, then I’ll be there. If I don’t, then I don’t deserve to be there.”
Last year’s Scottish Open field was officially the fifth strongest in golf in 2024. With MacIntyre and McIlroy among the star attractions already signed up for this July, it promises to be another blockbuster.
“It's brilliant,” said MacIntyre. “The field that we get every year is top drawer. It's as good as we get outside the majors. As a Scot, you're going there trying to win your home open and, thankfully, I've got that now. It's about adding to that and trying to defend it this year.”
Despite the sair yin of a missed cut at the Masters, MacIntyre remains upbeat about his golf.
“My game has actually been pretty good,” he added. “I’ve obviously been struggling a bit with the putter, but that’s no surprise. It comes and goes. I do everything I can to try to fix it. I change putters, I snap putters.”
Funnily enough, that’s what some of the golf writers were doing after a frenetic round at the media day.
