Reflective Robert MacIntyre counting memories before defense of Scottish Open
Robert MacIntyre returns to the Scottish Open exasperated by the year gone by since he birdied the final hole to win his home country's national championship in North Berwick last July.
But even with the condensed PGA Tour schedule -- which MacIntyre detailed as prompting the belief he can never take a week off - the Oban, Scotland, native said he's energized planting his feet on home soil to defend his tournament title.
'As a kid growing up, I watched The Scottish Open at Loch Lomond and dreamed of playing in it,' he said Wednesday, 'and once I got playing in it, I'm thinking, let's win this thing. And obviously coming close. But last year, when that putt drops -- I keep watching it over and over again. I was struggling. My putting was up-and-down like a roller coaster. And when I struggle, I look at these moments, and I remember the highs when the putter does come, it really turns it on.'
MacIntyre defeated Adam Scott by one stroke, making up three shots over the final five holes to extend momentum he brought to Scotland last July after winning the Canadian Open with his dad on the bag.
There is a little less in the way of a positive current behind MacIntyre this week.
Still, he's 14th in the Official World Golf Ranking the day before teeing it up at The Renaissance Club in arguably the headlining grouping of the first round with Scott and World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (3:28 a.m. ET Thursday).
'It is surreal to know the path that I've gone on and the results that I've had,' said MacIntyre of the awe factor of coming home to take on the world's best in a spotlight tee time. 'As a kid growing up, you hit putts on putting greens to win this, win that, and I mean to actually be in the tournaments and have chances to really live the moments is all I can ask for. Whether you win it or not, it's like you've got the chance and they are special.'
MacIntyre said he'll be aided by having the Scottish Open trophy on a shelf but made it clear he's planning to be aggressive, take risks and play to win again this week.
'I think the pressure is off, obviously, with me saying how much I wanted this golf tournament and we wanted to win this tournament,' MacIntyre said. 'I think the pressure is off on that side of it because I have won it now, but the expectation is not from me, (it's) from outside, the fans. No people within my team because they know it's a process and we do certain things. From the outside, the expectation is through the roof.'
Beyond defending his title, motivation will not be hard to locate come Thursday.
By car, MacIntyre's hometown of Oban is around a seven-hour drive to Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland. This week, it's closer to three hours and under 150 miles to reach the site of the Scottish Open on Cowden Hill Drive in North Berwick.
'I want to keep this trophy every year until I stop playing. But again, I pitch up here, and I want to win,' he said. 'It's the Scottish Open, and it's my almost flagship event, I would say, after the majors. I want to win it. I hope if I don't win it, a Scottish player wins it. It's just a special, special golf tournament with an unbelievable field.'
There's enough fuel and energy from the support of the home crowd this week and next for MacIntyre to keep it in high gear. Eventually, he's looking forward to taking a long break and perhaps more time for reflection.
'This season is log-jammed. If you looked at the locker room on the Sunday at the Travelers, everyone was dying to go home because it was just a long stretch. For me, I was out there 11 weeks, played 10 out of 11, was just running on empty,' MacIntyre said.
'It's such a big golf tournament; you're trying your best. It's difficult with how kind of condensed the season is now on the PGA Tour, especially. It's just log-jammed and you just feel like you can't take a week off because if you take a week off, you're going backward. It's difficult -- that side of it. But you've got to trust your schedule. You've got to trust that you're going to get your run.
'But it is very, very tiring.'
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