O Canada. For Robert MacIntyre and his dad, Dougie, last year’s triumph in the Canadian Open generated such an emotional outpouring, it just about raised the water levels of the Firth of Lorn back in Oban.
The boys are back in town. Well, not quite. MacIntyre defends the title this week at a different venue from the one he conquered 12 months ago with his dad as caddie but it hasn’t stopped the father and son duo having a meander down memory lane.
MacIntyre senior has made the trip to TPC Toronto but not in a working capacity. Last year’s title-winning double act was always going to be a one and done alliance and Dougie took a bit of convincing to hop on a plane this time.
“I said to my dad last week, ‘look, do you want to come to Canada again?’,” said MacIntyre. “I said, ‘you're not caddieing, but you can come and have a holiday again’. He’s humming and hawing about leaving his work, and my mum ended up saying, ‘look, you're 60 now. Get to Canada’.”
That was Dougie telt. Having touched down on Canadian soil, the MacIntyres went back to the Hamilton Club, about an hour southwest of Toronto, the other day to relive the memories of his maiden PGA Tour victory.
“When we won last year, we sat in the clubhouse until about 11:30pm just drinking beers and having a good time,” added MacIntyre of the civilised knees-up that followed his win.
“It was nothing wild. I’ve kept in touch with them at the club and I said that I’d love to play Hamilton again on the Monday of this week.
“So we went, and they actually put the pin positions out for the Sunday of the Canadian Open. We were reminiscing about certain shots and certain putts.
“It's just special for me and my dad to go back there and enjoy a round of golf without the media, without the crowds, without any hassle. It was just reliving a moment.
“I mean, I don't know if it will be done again on the PGA Tour, to be honest with you; winning with your dad on the bag? It was something special.”
It certainly was. It teed-up a special year too as MacIntyre went on to win the Scottish Open a few weeks later.
“Last year was a fairytale,” he said. “The way I won in Canada with my dad on the bag, and then winning the Scottish Open. I honestly couldn't ask for a better year unless I won a major championship.”
After his early struggles to adapt to a new life on the other side of the pond, MacIntyre learned quickly.
In this game, you never stop learning. Surrounded by the best players in the world on a regular basis, his golfing education continues.
“I've still not worked out what Scottie Scheffler does day in and day out,” he said with a chuckle as he mulled over the world No 1’s dominant form.
“You can always strive to be better and every day I'm out here, I'm looking at different things, different people.
“That's why I think my putting has been improving. I obviously changed coaches, but I'm also changing little processes within my practice and doing little things that can try to help me perform.
“If someone's a great putter and you're not the greatest then watch them, and see what they do. What do they do differently from you?
“It’s the same with the long game, same with chipping, same with driving. There are little things that the best do that you wouldn't.
"So you dissect that and pick apart what they do and then use little bits that you think will help you get that little bit better every time.”
Trying to get all the various golfing cogs and pistons working in unison can often be a fine tuning exercise that would baffle the greatest engineering minds but MacIntyre is quietly confident that his game is poised to move up through the gears.
“The last two weeks have been pretty good for me and I’m starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel,” said the Scot, who followed up a share of sixth in the Charles Schwab Challenge with a tie for 20th at The Memorial last weekend.
“It's not been easy sailing for me this year but I feel we're on the right path and the game's starting to merge.”
As for faither’s role this week? “He'll just walk about, keep his head down, probably with his hat on,” smiled the world No 20.
This time last year, it was hats off to the MacIntyres.
