It’s not quite a Jack Kerouac novel but Robert MacIntyre continues to pen some delightful chapters in his own American road trip.
The Masters is over. It’s time to move on. Fresh from his share of 12th place on his debut at Augusta, MacIntyre was shoving the clubs in the boot of the hire car and heading down to Hilton Head Island for this week’s RBC Heritage event.
Given that he was still as high as a kite after his final hole birdie which ensured a return invitation to next year’s Masters, MacIntyre probably could have caught an updraft and floated serenely down to the next stop on the PGA Tour.
Chasing the American golfing dream has been something to savour these last seven weeks. The lure of the PGA Tour, with all its riches and opportunity, is strong. There is a lot to do before he earns full playing rights on the circuit but, should he achieve that goal, then the European Tour need not worry.
In a year of Brexit, the Scot doesn’t have plans for, well, a Bob-xit. “The last five events I’ve played have been top of the tree events, they have not just been any old golf tournaments,” he said of this sparking, dollar sodden sequence of showpiece occasions.
“This is where you want to be. It’s the only way you’ll get better by playing against guys who are better than you. It raises your game, you are more alert, you are more aware of what’s going on.
“If I do get a PGA Tour card – and I’ll need to hit certain targets to achieve that – we are not just going to play the PGA Tour. I was raised in Scotland, the European Tour is where my career has moved forward on.
“You’ll never forget where you’re from and you’ll never forget where the opportunities came from. I’ll always play the European Tour. Obviously I’d play the PGA Tour if I get my card but we talk about the Tommy Fleetwood schedule. He plays on both sides and competes and that’s what I want to be doing.”
MacIntyre has every reason to set his sights high. He revelled in the Augusta examination with a typically bold, aggressive display which yielded loads of birdies, a pile of bogeys and a whole host of new admirers. “It was a rollercoaster again,” he said of a week that just about required onlookers to strap themselves in and wear a protective neck brace.
MacIntyre is far too canny to get embroiled about predictions, projections and prophecies about how far his talent can take him. It doesn’t stop us lot asking, of course. So what about the chances of making the Ryder Cup?
“Zero, because I’m not in the team yet,” he said to temper the excitement. “Until I am inside the automatic spot, I won’t expect to be in the team. If I am in the spots, I’m in and they can’t not pick me. I’ll just play my golf and see where we end up. What I’ve done, a 12th place finish at The Masters at the first attempt is good, but there is so much more I could have gained out of it."
That level-headed approach has served MacIntyre well throughout his career. His rise may look rapid to those peering on but to the man himself, it’s been a steady overall ascension. Golf can be a long career. There’s no mad rush to do this, that and the other as far as MacIntyre is concerned. You’ve got to take time to smell the roses and all that.
“I’ve done everything that I’ve wanted to do so far,” said the world No 44. “I wouldn’t say my rise has been quick. I’ve done it in stages, ticking off the checklist.
“I feel I’m moving at the right pace and my golf is progressing at the right pace for me to slowly do it.
“I’m inside the top 50 in the world but you don’t have to shoot into the top 10. It’s not something that needs to be done tomorrow. It can take time and I’m fine with that.
“You want to be out here for 30 plus years. But it’s not just about being delighted with 12th place at The Masters. It’s about doing something in the game. You don’t just sit back and say, ‘oh, I’m happy with finishing 12th every time’. I want to take the next step. I always say this, but I don’t know what is going to happen and nobody else does. We’ll just let it happen.”
The journey continues.
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