'Ballistic' Bob MacIntyre addresses his angry side, Masters telling off and 'massive learning curve'
Oban man talks about how he aims to be a bit more ‘mellow’ but also feels he needs to be ‘ballistic’ at times
Bob MacIntyre has spoken about how he is trying to “navigate life” and also admitted the last fortnight had been a “massive learning curve” as he finally opened up on how bad language and a one-fingered gesture had led to him being pulled up by tournament officials during the Masters a fortnight ago.
Speaking at The Renaissance Club in East Lothian as the 2024 winner’s participation in this year’s Genesis Scottish Open was confirmed, the Oban man praised the “robotic brilliance” of Scottie Scheffler as well and spoke about how he wants to play golf like the world No 1 and be a bit more “mellow” but, at the same time, feeling he needs to be “ballistic Bob” on occasions.
Returning to the scene of his sweet success on home soil two years ago after being pipped by Rory McIlroy’s birdie-birdie finish 12 months earlier, MacIntyre admitted for the first time that he had been reprimanded after signing for an 80 in the opening round at Augusta National.
“Yeah, it’s all put to bed on my side,” said MacIntyre in reply to being asked about him storming out of the scoring cabin at the Georgia venue without talking to reporters then doing likewise the following day after missing the cut in the season’s opening major for the second year running.
“Obviously it wasn’t the week I wanted, but I didn’t hear from anyone with a Green Jacket,” he added. “I just heard from the rules committee or someone in scoring. I didn’t think there were any problems with it. Just like any other week, someone comes and gives me a telling off. If it’s not Shannon, my partner, or mum or dad, someone else has got to do it.”
In the final round, Sergio Garcia was spoken to by a Green Jacket out on the course and reminded about a new code of conduct after he’d taken a lump out of the turf on the second tee then broke his driver after hitting a water cooler as the former winner boiled over.
“No, no,” replied MacIntyre to being asked if he’d been given a similar ticking off. “I mean, I thought what I done was pretty tame. Look, I’m not proud of what I done. But I wear my heart on my sleeve. I play golf at the highest level and I try and compete as hard as I can. Am I disappointed in what I've done? Yes, but could it happen again? More than likely. I try to control my emotions as much as I can, but sometimes it boils over.”
MacIntyre, who became a new father earlier this year after the birth of his son, Findlay, then gave a brilliant answer to being asked by The Scotsman if the fact his expectations were now greater than ever through having been inside the world’s top ten for a spell - he’s now sitting 12th in the global standings - and feeling he can win a major after finishing second in the US Open last year.
What gets MacIntyre most annoyed
“Yes and no,” he said. “My expectations have always been there, my belief is higher than ever, and it's trying to kind of align everything for that week. Like the week before the Masters, I go to Valero (Texas Open) and I play absolutely perfect golf for two rounds. I then have a bit of a wobble in the third round, but still in the golf tournament with a one-shot lead. The fourth round is then not going how I planned, but still in it.
“I think when I get most annoyed is when the golf tournament's gone and I feel like I'm out of the golf tournament. The goal, or the process goals, I'm not achieving them. When the thing is out of reach is when you start to lose it.
“It's about maybe getting smaller goals. Maybe a hole or every three holes, rather than trying to win golf tournaments, because there’s only one guy's going to do it at the end of the week. If you're failing every week, then you're not in a good headspace, so it's just about me trying to reassess.”
In last week’s RBC Heritage, which was eventually won by Ryder Cup team-mate Matt Fitzpatrick, MacIntyre was in the mix until he finished double bogey-bogey in Friday’s second round before ending up in a tie for 42nd in the PGA Tour’s latest Signature Event.
“I'm just trying to navigate my way through it,” he added. “Last week, for instance, I'm right in the golf tournament after 34 holes, and then bang, 35th hole, 36th hole happened, and it's just about me. I need to get better at that, and it's something that I feel like I'm going in waves. It's like anything, sometimes you're good, sometimes you're not, but when I've won it recently, it's been, when my attitude's been at its best.
“It’s like when you get punched but you don't react, you get another punch but you don't react, so you just keep moving forward, whereas recently I feel like when I get punched I just go down and I take too long to get back to where I need to be, and I think that's just part of life.
“My life has changed, recently for the better, but it's just about trying to find myself on a golf course. Like my family (Shannon and Findlay) couldn't come over to Augusta, it was a last-minute thing, and I wanted them to be there. But I accepted they couldn't be there, and then like last week I asked my dad to stay on for company, and he stayed on. It's stuff like that that I just need to get better at.
“My life's changed, so let's kind of still make progress but just accept that this year might not be the best year for me on the golf course, it's about trying to navigate life a little bit differently, and I think so far we've done a good job, and I think the last couple of weeks has been a massive learning curve for me.”
‘I want to play golf like Scottie Scheffler’
MacIntyre, who has joined two-time Masters winner McIlroy and defending champion Chris Gotterup in committing to the latest edition of the Genesis Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club in July, was asked if he could pick the brains of someone like Scheffler, the game’s dominant force over the past four years.
“I watch Scottie Sheffler and I'm like I want to play golf like Scottie Sheffler, everyone in the world wants to play golf like Scottie Sheffler,” he said. “He's got his beliefs and religion is a massive part of his life. I was watching the golf there on Sunday, and it was me, my dad, my caddie and Tommy Fleetwood’s caddie and we were sitting in the house before flying home.
“When he was standing on the 17th tee, we're like ‘that guy has got no other thought than that golf shot that he's about to hit’. We shouldn't worry about trying to win golf tournaments, just let it happen, but it looks to me that he literally does that. I'd love to get in that position, but I think once you've won so many times, it's a lot easier.”
Though full of admiration for the likes of Scheffler, MacIntyre is determined to keep being himself as much as possible. “I feel like the world of golf is almost trying to get everybody to be that robotic way,” continued in what was a fantastic interview and, as ever, very honest. “But, if everybody was like that, the world would be boring. I accept when I boil over that apologies have to be made. It’s the way I am. Yes, I’d love to be more mellow. I’d like to be a bit like Scottie in the way of not reacting. But that might affect the way I play golf.
“Most of the time, I’m very good at going ballistic and moving on. At Bay Hill (in the Arnold Palmer Invitational last month), I made a double bogey on 15 on the Friday. I was going absolutely ballistic. The cameras weren’t on me. It was probably the angriest I’ve been on a golf course. Way angrier than at Augusta. I played the last three holes, one of the toughest stretches in golf, in one-under.
“When I’m in the right frame of mind, I can go ballistic then let it go and it doesn’t affect me. If I get it out respectfully then it’s better for me. If you can get the anger out the way, it helps. I can’t be one of those guys who makes a double-bogey and waves at the crowd and smiles. That’s not me, that’s never going to be me.”
How does he let it out respectfully? “Wait until the mics are off and then let it out,” he said, laughing.
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