They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. But Robert MacIntyre didn’t need a two-year exile from Augusta National to make the rekindling of his romance with the Masters any more special.
For this was a love-at-first-sight kind of relationship. Having admired from afar as a starry-eyed kid, MacIntyre was able to revel in the warm embrace of the iconic course when finally getting up close and personal on his debut in 2021.
Where so many others had been chewed up and spat out, shown the unforgiving and at times cruel side of this Georgian beauty, the Oban golfer savoured a weekend to remember, notching up a tournament-high 21 birdies on his way to a tie for 12th and earning an invitation to return for a second date.
Sparks flew again 12 months later as the Scot caught the eye with a final-round 69 to record another comfortable top-25 finish, albeit romance blossomed elsewhere as Scottie Scheffler made his play and announced himself as the new daddy of the sport.
The heartache began in 2023 when MacIntyre found himself out of the world’s top 50 and therefore failing to receive an invite to the ball.
Undeterred, he placed his focus on ticking off another massive career goal, successfully qualifying for that year’s Ryder Cup and finding a new level of fame after claiming two and a half points out of three in the triumph over the Americans.
Bob MacIntyre plays his tee shot at the fourth hole during the third round of the 2022 Masters
MacIntyre splashes out of a bunker during a practice round ahead of his Masters debut in 2021
MacIntyre is convinced that his game suits the unique challenge of Augusta National
Buoyed by the achievement, MacIntyre successfully went on to claim a cherished PGA Tour card but his early struggles on the US circuit saw him slip out of the qualifying positions for last year’s Masters, as well.
With his golfing credentials under severe scrutiny for the first time — and MacIntyre openly admitting to homesickness as he struggled to adapt to a more isolated life Stateside — he responded in majestic fashion, famously winning the Canadian Open with his dad on the bag, then adding an emotional Scottish Open title just a few weeks later.
Huge cheques and high praise rained down, but it was the guarantee of a return to the Masters — as well as a start at every other big event the game has to offer — that will have really got his juices flowing as he took stock on his occasional retreats back home to the Firth of Lorn.
In many ways, the 28-year-old’s third trip to Augusta will already feel different. Where before the buzz and build-up and that drive up Magnolia Lane will have undoubtedly sapped a little of the Oban man’s focus — he spoke last week about the ‘nervous energy’ he had to manage during his early appearances — this year his mindset will have narrowed.
Behind all the happy-go-lucky, thrilled-to-be-here soundbites he will still serve up to the global media, deep down MacIntyre knows he is a real contender.
For a start, he arrives as world No17, his breakthrough season last year having catapulted him among the game’s elite players.
His two summer triumphs in Canada and North Berwick were followed by further strong showings in the FedEx Cup play-offs and the closing events of the DP World Tour to bank him more than £4.5million for his year’s work.
It really was a season of staggeringly high achievement.
As he admitted himself last week, speaking on the DP World Tour website, being forced to watch the Masters from afar for the last two years only served to motivate him.
He said: ‘It’s not been nice when it’s your favourite place. But it makes you work harder at it and it makes you focus more when you’re on the golf course.
‘Obviously the two wins last year have made this happen. I just can’t wait to get back to be honest.’
With only positive memories to draw on and a course that clearly suits his eye, it’s only right there is such excitement around MacIntyre’s return to the year’s first major.
Throw in the fact that Augusta has a habit of churning out left-handed winners, with Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson and Mike Weir having accounted for six out of 12 victories between 2003 and 2014, and there are solid reasons to believe that MacIntyre really can emulate Sandy Lyle’s 1988 success and become Scotland’s second Masters champion.
MacIntyre takes great pride in his previous efforts and agrees that the design of the course plays into his hands, saying: ‘To do that (21 birdies) at your first Masters isn’t normal. I feel like my game suits this golf course.
‘The way I play golf suits the way this golf course wants you to play golf. I think it’s just the shot shape and having to move it both ways. I predominantly fade it for a left-hander, which with the modern equipment is a lot easier.
‘The tougher holes and a few of the funky holes set up nicely for a lefty for a mis-hit.’
This year sees a record number of lefties in the field, and it is MacIntyre who is the shortest priced among them, leading Akshay Bhatia, Mickelson, Brian Harman, Joe Highsmith, Watson and Weir in the betting.
He arrives this year with simmering form, bubbling nicely enough under the surface to keep him clear of excessive expectations or media distractions but confident in the shape his game is in.
After an understandably slow start to the season going from Hawaii to Dubai and then back to California, he fired four rounds in the 60s at the rowdy Waste Management Phoenix Open en route to a tie for sixth.
A missed cut at Torrey Pines and a two-week break followed before a steady 11th in a high-class field at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and then a ninth-place finish at The Players Championship, his first time making the cut at the game’s ‘fifth major’.
His most recent outing came in the weather-disrupted Porsche Singapore Open two weeks ago, where he endured the worst of the conditions in an opening round of 73 before storming back with a second round 64, the lowest score of the day.
With the event shortened to 54 holes, his tie for ninth was a respectable finish in thecircumstances and teed him up for another short break at home in Oban before ramping up Masters preparations with a training camp in Isleworth, Florida.
Declaring himself happy with his performance levels this year, MacIntyre said: ‘I think it’s just the consistency of my game that has been a lot better. Driving the ball, hitting more fairways, the percentages are up which makes life a lot easier in hitting the greens.
‘All the stats snowball from that, although the putting has not been as good. But tee to green the stats have been far, far better than last year.’
During a question and answer session on social media last month, MacIntyre was asked if he felt he was ahead of the game or behind where he thought he would be at this stage of his career. He replied: ‘Ahead of where I thought I’d be. I dreamed of playing at this level but never thought I’d get here. Now we are here we don’t stop.’
Having already proved that dreams can come true, something truly magical could be on the horizon if the stars align for him this weekend. It would be a love story to move us all.
