Bob MacIntyre plots Shane Lowry Ryder Cup 'lost in New York' act and says dream career is missing one thing
Oban man admits his only missing career goal is now a major - and he’s got that in his sights as well
Bob MacIntyre joked that he was ready to “get lost in New York” with Shane Lowry after becoming a Ryder Cup legend and admitted his dream career is now only missing one thing.
“To get a half point (in the final match of the 45th contest against Sam Burns) and to win the Ryder Cup on US soil, I have now only got one more thing to achieve in the game of golf and that’s win a major,” declared the Oban man. “I’ve just got a dream of doing that and hope I achieve it.”
He came close, of course, when being pipped by J.J. Spaun in this year’s US Open at Oakmont and will be buoyed heading into the 2026 majors as a two-time Ryder Cup victor after his winning debut in Rome two years ago.
On that occasion, MacIntyre had a feeling that it might come down to him in the anchor match as the Americans mounted a last-day fightback at Marco Simone Golf Club on the outskirts of the Italian capital.
As it turned out, Tommy Fleetwood got Luke Donald’s side over the line before the Scot beat Wyndham Clark, the US Open champion at the time, to finish unbeaten in three games in Europe’s 16.5-11.5 victory.
After Viktor Hovland’s withdrawal due to a neck injury, MacIntyre found himself in the bottom game again and, as Europe wobbled despite heading into the singles only needing three points to retain the trophy, it looked as though the outcome could have been in his hands.
As it was, Shane Lowry capped a brilliant final few holes with a birdie at the 18th to ensure the visitors would retain the trophy before Tyrrell Hatton’s halved match secured the win as it eventually finished 15-13 at Bethpage Black on Long Island.
“Unbelievable,” declared MacIntyre after munching a bag of peanuts and enjoying a celebratory beer in Team Europe’s press conference as he smiled from start to finish along with his fellow players and Donald as well. “It was the same as Rome. I didn’t think it was going to come down to as tight as it was and it ended up it did.
“But, yeah, just to get that half point to kind of shut out the (American) noise about Victor - the guys were saying that Keegan Bradley wants to change the rule (about an injured player) - was nice.”
After his debut in Italy, MacIntyre spoke about how he’d still be a happy man if that proved his one and only appearance in the biennial event. He soon knew, though, that he wanted to face the Americans for the rest of his career and his sights are already on the 2027 contest at Adare Manor in Ireland.
“Since I was a young, young boy, I wanted to be a professional golfer, but I didn’t know if I was ever going to get the chance,” said the left-hander, speaking after the European players had done their customary champagne spraying to celebrate a win.
“And Stoddy [Iain Stoddart, his manager] gave me a chance with my sponsors back then - Orion Group and Arnold Clark. And now I’m here. I mean, I’m literally living a kid’s dream. And I’ll keep saying it until the day I die, I’ve just got one more dream that I want to achieve.
“And, if I achieve that, I could happily hang up the boots, hang up the clubs and walk away from the game. I’ve won the Scottish Open, won in Rome, now won here. I’m meant to be on a flight on Monday night and I reckon me and Shane Lowry might be lost in New York!”
MacIntyre and Lowry have become good friends over the past few years and it’s the same with Hatton, who will be defending his Alfred Dunhill Links Championship crown on Scottish soil this week in a field that also includes MacIntyre, Tommy Fleetwood and Mattew Fitzpatrick.
“Shane’s from the same kind of background as me and Tyrrell’s Tyrell,” said MacIntyre of the two players who, along with Fitzpatrick and Ludvig Aberg, got the job done for Donald’s dozen as they became just the fifth team to win on US soil and first since the ‘Miracle at Medinah’ in 2012.
“You either like him or love him, and I love him. But I love every one of that team, every one of the backroom staff, every one of my team. There’s so many people I’ve got to thank, but this is just a dream that I just, I don’t know what to say. I mean, this is just a kid from Oban achieving these things. People like me, people hate me, but I’m just being me.”
Eleven of the 12 players from Italy were on this team and, right to the bitter end, there was no hiding the bond that exists among this group of individuals, the majority of whom can also be involved again in two years’ time.
“Nah, nothing daft or wild happens because within the group we’ve got a job to do,” said MacIntyre. “I’ve played team sports all my life. It is different, completely different to playing shinty or football because we’re individuals for 99 per cent of the weeks that we play golf, but when we come into this, it is a proper team and there’s leaders in the team. We just follow suit and these guys are spectacular.”
MacIntyre joins Sandy Lyle, Sam Torrance, Gordon Brand jnr, Ken Brown, Colin Montgomerie and Paul Lawrie on the list of Scots to savour victory in the event on American turf. “There’s 47 now and that was our place, our time,” said a smiling MacIntyre of the team’s motto for the week.
“I mean, I’m part of history. I get emotional thinking about it. I’m a kid that had a dream that had the support of my family, had the support of my sponsors, had support of a club, a town, and just keep dreaming and just keep working hard, keep moving forward, and anything can happen.”
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