Robert MacIntyre’s teary victory with dad got here with added that means

It will appear to be no participant on the PGA Tour has thought extra about household this 12 months than Robert MacIntyre. Definitely no player has talked about it more than the boy from Oban, Scotland. 

MacIntyre moved from Europe to Orlando this 12 months for a full-time life on the PGA Tour. He was one among 10 graduates from the DP World Tour who acquired full standing within the States, the place the purse sizes are commonly 4 or 5 instances as huge. It was a pure transfer on paper however grew to become a tough one in actuality. As a result of MacIntyre shortly missed dwelling. He missed his mates on the DPWT, performed largely in Europe. He missed his household, whom he used to see between event begins. However when his dwelling base grew to become central Florida, journeys dwelling not solely grew to become rare, they grew to become largely inconceivable. 

As he shared a number of instances with reporters this spring, MacIntyre felt lonely in his new Tour life — simply him and his girlfriend and a handful of European friends he was shut with. However these European execs have their very own schedules, their very own households to are inclined to, their very own breaks. Feeling a tug at his coronary heart, MacIntyre flew dwelling in early April. He didn’t have a Masters invite, so as an alternative he spent three weeks in Oban, barely touching his golf golf equipment. 

“Achieved some silly stuff and simply loved myself,” was how he described that journey eventually month’s PGA Championship. He had flown his mom throughout PGA week to cook dinner and clear of their rental home whereas he contended for the title, extending his familial time so long as he might. He believed that journey dwelling was key to altering his perspective, resetting the pressures he was feeling and his expectations for the season shifting ahead. It ended with him tied for eighth, his first high 10 in a serious championship in years. It was an surprising success by each measure. Besides he did it with a fill-in caddie. 

MacIntyre has been on a little bit of a caddie hunt for the final two years. He started 2023 with fellow Scot Mike Thompson on his bag earlier than switching to Greg Milne a 12 months in the past. Shortly after the Ryder Cup, he swapped in Mike Burrow, a tenured Tour vet. Burrow carried for him all through the early months of 2024, however then was modified out for Scott Carmichael. When Carmichael was busy with a marriage in the course of the PGA, Burrow stepped again in for that single week earlier than Carmichael was again in tow on the Charles Schwab Problem. MacIntyre labeled his caddie hiring course of “in transition.”

When MacIntyre missed the lower in Dallas, “transition” felt much more like emergency. MacIntyre called home, ringing his father, Dougie, on Saturday night time again in Scotland.

Dougie Mac was prepared for every week price of greenskeeping duties at Glencruitten Golf Membership, within the southwest nook of Caledonia, the place Robert says he was “born and bred.”

“I’m sitting on the sofa at dwelling, 8 o’clock Saturday night time, and I’m like, ‘Can I depart my job right here?’” Dougie stated. His son had requested him to fill in as an emergency caddie. “Eight o’clock the following morning and I’m on a flight right here. Wow.” 

Wow doesn’t fairly do it justice, however Dougie could be forgiven for struggling to search out the phrases. He had shared these particulars for the primary time all week whereas standing on the 18th inexperienced, being interviewd by Amanda Balionis, his son having simply received the Canadian Open by one stroke for his first profession Tour win. Dad had already rolled up the flag from the 18th pin, the one souvenir a caddie might ever need.

“Unbelievable. I’m a grass-cutter,” Dougie stated, pausing in his feelings. “Not a caddie. Not a caddie. Actually, it’s unbelievable.”

Unbelievable seems like a greater phrase, given how Tour victories are sometimes handed out on the finish of lengthy journeys looking for consistency, not after hasty caddie modifications. Tour gamers appear to triumph most after they’ve constructed and constructed and constructed towards a victory. Not instantly after a missed lower and a last-minute name dwelling. Nevertheless it appears to make good sense when contemplating MacIntyre’s season and sensibilities. He’s an emotional individual, admitting to having been on the verge of tears forward of his first Ryder Cup match final fall. He’s admitted that his sport was trending all spring however that his perspective was getting in his means. And because the world is aware of nicely now, the Orlando-based model of MacIntyre at all times appears to be eager for a chunk of what awaits him on the opposite aspect of the Atlantic Ocean. Within the wake of his breakthrough Sunday night time, he had clearly already made plans to handle that. 

“Only one final query, you’ve now performed your self into [next week’s] Memorial,” began CBS’ Amanda Balionis, “into the U.S. Open, into Vacationers. Is Dad employed on the bag for the following three huge weeks?”

“No, Dad’s on the flight dwelling on Monday,” Robert started. “I feel me and my girlfriend would possibly go dwelling on Monday as nicely and simply have a helluva celebration again dwelling, as a result of that is unbelievable.”

It was a reminder that to the victors on the PGA Tour come many spoils. There’s the $1.692 million winner’s verify. There’s full standing on the Tour for the following 2.5 years. MacIntyre was instantly elevated into each Signature Occasion for the rest of this season, incomes a Masters invite for subsequent April and a U.S. Open tee time in simply 10 days.

However earlier than all of that, Sunday’s win gave him the liberty to go dwelling once more and each time he’d prefer to sooner or later. By the point he was conducting a winner’s press convention, the celebration again dwelling he had imagined had already been delayed a bit. He’s in all probability going to play the Memorial. It’s too good a possibility to go up. However whether or not it’s subsequent week or a bit additional down the street, relaxation assured, Bob MacIntyre will quickly once more be headed dwelling to do some silly stuff and simply take pleasure in himself.