Bob MacIntyre gets honest on his Open chances as he offers one big 'guarantee' to expectant fans

Daily Record

5 hours ago

MacIntyre accepts he's a contender but he views himself as just one of many at Portrush
Bob MacIntyre was an excited kid hoping the Royal Portrush roof would blow off on his Major debut.
Now, six years on and back at The Open as a genuine contender, he's in the position to be The Bobfather to a new trio of Claret Jug newbies.
MacIntyre returns to the Antrim Coast no longer a fresh-faced rookie, but as a bona fide title challenger.
In 2019, aged just 22, the Scot burst onto the scene giving notice of his talent and attitude. He led on day one and stated after the round he could win it.
It showed the inner-belief and that has, understandably, grown since as he's stormed the world scene ticking off boxes along the way.
MacIntyre has triumphed twice on the PGA Tour, won a Ryder Cup and come second in a US Open all in the space of the past two years.
It's changed days from that opening morning six years ago as he reflected: 'It was tough, standing on that first tee, the nerves. You've always dreamed to play in these.
"You've watched it on TV since you were a young kid. I got to just live another dream.
'It was difficult, but I got a little bit lucky when I managed to finish in just the proper time when the storm came in.
"I remember sitting in player dining and it just kept blowing. I thought the roof was coming off the place. I was just like keep coming, keep coming!
'I was just watching it, watching me get further up the leaderboard. It's a different week this week, but I'm just looking forward to it.
'I still feel like I've got no real care. Yeah, people may have picked me to win it, but to be honest, there are so many guys this week that can win.
'I'm going to go out there and enjoy playing Royal Portrush again and give it my absolute best, and that's all I can guarantee.'
Once the kid, MacIntyre is now the world star and, during Tuesday's practice, he was out with Scots debutants Cameron Adam, Daniel Young and Connor Graham.
He said: 'If they ask for it, I'll give them advice. If they don't, that's fine. I'm going to prepare the same as I've tried to every week. Going to try and win The Open.'
The pedigree is built on the experiences and displays, such as the runner-up showing behind JJ Spaun at Oakmont last month which fully announced him on the Major scene.
MacIntyre said: 'Just a brilliant performance. We were lucky that the weather allowed us to play golf. The rain that came in softened it, thankfully no wind, but it would have been absolute carnage.
'I thought it was an absolutely brilliant effort. When I finished, I thought, if someone beats that, fair play, and JJ played better during the week. For me, that's as good a performance as I can put in a round on probably the hardest golf course on the planet that we play.'
A second Ryder Cup appearance is on the cards at Bethpage in September and he continued: 'I think it's absolutely brilliant. For me I've had a good spell in the US to get me right up there, but when you look at the European winners on Tour this year, it's as good as ever.
'The team's going to be ready to go. Bethpage is going to be tough, obviously, with the crowd, but it's going to be the same as Rome that we're in it together. As long as we've got each other, it doesn't matter what else is going on.'
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MacIntyre can clinch his New York place at Portrush and loves the venue as he said: 'These are as good as it gets when they've been redesigned.
"So many golf courses try to trick it up. I just think the whole course is absolutely beautiful to the eye but it also plays absolutely brilliantly.
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'Every hole there's an opportunity to make a bogey or make a disaster. You've got the gorse bushes, you've got thick rough, wispy rough.
"I had a few last week, I've walked in there stupidly thinking: I'll get a seven-iron on that, hit it, goes over my shoulder.
'If you're in the rough, it's carnage. Not carnage as in Oakmont carnage where I'm just getting a lob wedge on this. It's carnage that guys are going to think I could hit six, five irons out with this rough,and it goes sideways.'
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Superstitions aren't needed as he said: 'No, nothing like that. Just my marker. I'll putt with it white side up. If I hole a putt early on, I'll keep it on the white. If it's not gone in, I'll just flip it to the blue. That's all.
'There's nothing before the round, nothing after. It's just I don't worry about that stuff.'
The Scottish Open disappointment is also out of the system as he added: 'I thought Saturday, Sunday, I played better than I did Thursday, Friday. Scores didn't show that, but I wasn't in the thick of it. There was no buzz for me.
'The U draw kind of took that buzz away from it. I was on the wrong side. Sunday just wasn't a good day, but I'm here this week and I'm as ready as I can be.'