Bob MacIntyre enters the final round of the Canadian Open on Sunday with a four-shot lead and with his father, Dougie, on his bag. This could be one of the most important – not to mention emotional – rounds of the young Scot’s career.
A debut PGA Tour win in Hamilton would bring so many benefits, starting with entry into next week’s $20 million Memorial tournament and then, the week after, with a berth at the US Open at Pinehurst. MacIntyre, 27, would also win a place in next year’s Masters and guarantee his card on the US circuit for the next two years.
Just as importantly, it would give substance to the belief he and his many admirers hold: that last year’s Ryder Cup bow was not a one-off event for this talented and fearless bird collector.
So there’s plenty to play for, perhaps even too much, and with the likes of Tommy Fleetwood and Rory McIlroy ready to pound the nerves, the southpaw may need another pep talk from the old man by his side .
“He had a little attack on me when I was walking from the 10th tee to the fairway,” Macintyre revealed after his third round. “He was a sporty man, he knows how to win, he knows how to lose, he’s been through it all. He saw my head move a little.
The effect was immediate. MacIntyre birdied that par four and played the next four holes at five-under from the 14th, capping that fine run with a 30-footer for Eagle at the 17th. The resulting 66 took him to 14 under and gave him a comfortable lead over Canadian Mackenzie Hughes, American Ben Griffin and Kiwi Ryan Fox in joint second place.
In the cosmopolitan rankings, England’s Fleetwood – who is looking to break his own American duck – is one behind and Ulsterman McIlroy still two strokes behind at seven under. The chasers all realize that this is MacIntyre’s job to lose, and that’s a position it’s fair to assume the pacer wouldn’t have expected to find himself in last weekend.
At the time, MacIntyre had neither a visa nor a caddy. The former was resolved by a call to PGA Tour Central, but the latter proved to be a bigger problem. MacIntyre is a popular character, but earns a certain reputation when it comes to the bagmen. He’s already experienced two this year, which was understandable at the start of his American adventure when he was struggling with loneliness.
However, he has been on the rise lately: he finished thirteenth at Myrtle Beach and achieved an exciting tie for eighth at the American PGA a fortnight ago. MacIntyre is a good catch for whichever looper lands him, but as things stood last Saturday, he was considering the prospect of hiring a local caddy at the country club an hour south of Toronto.
Eventually, MacIntyre called the family home in Oban and told Dougie he was needed. It was a wise move.
“Look, caddies are so valuable here, especially on a course like this with a lot of slopes,” MacIntyre said. “I’ve had a few. It’s just different [with his father]because he means well. I know the caddies mean it for another reason – I mean, they obviously want us to do well – but my dad wants me to do well because we’re made of blood.
The tire is safe. In his role as greenkeeper at Glencruitten Golf Club, and himself a scratch player, Dougie taught his son the game. He also taught Bob to play shinty and still encourages him to play for the local team he coaches. It brings MacIntyre back to earth. He’s an unassuming character who clearly misses home, but with his mentor in his corner he threatens to return Scottish men’s golf to the biggest stages of them all.
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