Exclusive:Bob MacIntyre reckons Augusta 'attack' mode is best option for Masters glory bid
Scot has turned up at Augusta National with a spring in his step - and it’s there for all to see
As he made his way over from the putting green at the side of the driving range at Augusta National to meet this correspondent for a pre-arranged chat, there was a noticeable spring in Bob MacIntyre’s step. Before too long, he was perfectly happy to share why. “I expect if I play well, then I’ll have a chance, and that’s all that matters,” declared the Oban man of his mindset heading into the 90th Masters.
Though he probably punched above his weight at the time when finishing joint-12th on his debut in this event in 2021 before giving another good account of himself when ending up just outside the top 20 the following year, this is the first time MacIntyre has arrived at the Georgia venue as a genuine contender.
On the back of him coming close to winning the US Open last June then also finishing in the top ten in The Open the following month, the 29-year-old has been talked up by the likes of two-time major winner Curtis Strange and Ryder Cup-winning captain Paul McGinley heading into this week’s tournament.
MacIntyre knows himself that he now has the tools to become a major winner, with this being his 21st appearance in one of the game’s marquee events. He was like a kid in a sweetie shop when he first made the drive up Magnolia Lane six years ago, but it’s business only that’s on his mind on this occasion. “It’s still special, but I am literally trying to treat it like another golf tournament,” he said and, from the look on his face, meaning it.
After having to sit out the event for two years due to not being exempt, MacIntyre suffered the disappointment of missing the cut on his return to this stage 12 months ago. It didn’t help that Nick Dunlap, one of his playing partners for the opening two rounds, had a torrid time, but MacIntyre is back vowing to play how he did in both 2021 and 2022.
“It’s going to be what I expect when I come here,” he said of the course set to play firm and fast due to a dry weather week being on the cards and the heat set to be turned up at the weekend. “I’m going to try and play it the way I did the first two years, which was aggressive. I made lots of birdies the first two times. I also just need to trust my short game because when it’s on it’s on.
‘I feel like I am playing well’
“I feel like I am playing well, so I might as well attack and see where we go. Last year didn’t go to plan, probably because I was trying to manage my game a bit more. But what’s the point in that this year? I am playing well, so I might as well go at it.
“It’s about preparing well but not over-preparing. I’ve seen myself do too much when I’ve come here in the past and this time I’m just going to literally treat it like another tournament. Yesterday I just hit a few balls before going out to play nine holes and chipped and putted a bit out on the course. I’m not trying to reinvent anything. The golf course is the golf course. I’ve always said that, if I hit the ball where I’m aiming it and the distance I want to hit it, then you are going to do well, no matter the golf course.”
For most players, this particular one requires some equipment changes from what they would normally have in the bag. Tommy Fleetwood talked in a press conference on Tuesday about why he’ll be using a 9-wood this week, with a 7-wood being MacIntyre’s equivalent. Judging by the two shots he plonked on the green at the par-5 15th when playing the back nine on Monday afternoon, it looks like it could be a useful weapon at the expense of a rescue wood.
“I’ve added more clubs to the armoury this year,” said the man who is attempting to follow in the footsteps of Phil Mickelson, Mike Weir and Bubba Watson by becoming a left-hander to win here. “I probably travel with four more clubs now that I normally would because there are different things I can do now.
“Something I’ve learned is having clubs for certain shots rather than me adjusting the shots. I used to use rescue wood, 3-wood and driver all the time. The rescue wood is great for windy conditions and when I am hitting a lot of the tee. But, when I am hitting into par-5s, it’s not got the flight I want, so the 7-wood, which is probably 10-12 yards shorter, is stopping on the greens and should continue to do so even if the greens get firmer here.”
Though the plan had been for them to be here, MacIntyre’s partner Shannon and the couple’s son Findlay, who was born in January, are back home in Glasgow. “He’s been struggling a bit and screaming quite a lot, so Shannon decided not to risk the travel and stuff,” he reported on family matters. “But my mum, dad and one of my sisters are out.”
‘I don’t think I worry as much on the golf side of it’
As lots of people knew would be the case, fatherhood suits MacIntyre. “It can be difficult, especially when I am over here and Shannon is at home and stuff like that,” he confessed. “But it’s great when I can come off the golf course and Facetime them and he’s smiling away. Yeah, life is different and I don’t think I worry as much on the golf side of it as I probably have.”
Sandy Lyle, the 1988 winner, has vowed to make a four-and-a-half hour drive from north Florida to Augusta on Sunday night to share MacIntyre’s hand if he can join him as a Masters champion. “Sandy is someone I’ve got to know in the last few years,” said MacIntyre of hearing that.
“To be honest, it’s someone I never thought I’d get to know and he’s been brilliant. I get messages from both him and his wife, Jolande, quite a lot. He’s helped me with a shot out here - the belly wedge around the greens. He swore by that when he won here and, hopefully, it can help me get a Green Jacket as well!”
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