PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

May 22, 2021

Robert MacIntyre

The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island

Quick Quotes

JOHN DEVER: Welcome back to the 2021 PGA Championship at the The Ocean Course in Kiawah Island, South Carolina. We are joined by Robert MacIntyre who posted an even par 72 today, 4-over for the championship.

Robert, terrific round. You really hung in there. I know the conditions aren't as tough as earlier in the week but you know, maybe give us an assessment of your play and how you played in those conditions today.

ROBERT MacINTYRE: Yeah, I felt like my score doesn't reflect on how I played. I didn't drive it great. I was never in real trouble. Hit a lot of great iron shots inside 15 feet and just couldn't hole a putt. But you get days like that. It's just I've struggled on the greens this week and it's hard to build momentum when you have missed a few. It's just hard to get the confidence back and trust what you're doing.

JOHN DEVER: When you've been bracing all week for the wind, and then it's not where it should be, does that coming back to normal take an adjustment on your part today.

ROBERT MacINTYRE: Not at all, because I feel like I can play it at home wherever I want, it's natural. I always work on tracking the ball in the sky and even when it's opinion windy, I've got the TrackMan there. I just hit the normal stock shots up in the sky and the wind does what it does, just to prepare for whatever day is to come. I always hit a low one -- under shot when I need it. But I feel comfortable in the conditions today, and I mean, it's playing reasonably easy.

Q. What do you think the leaders are going to experience, maybe describe what they will experience when they tee off in an hour's time?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: They are going to get a shock into the wind. The holes that are playing into the wind, I hit driver, 6-iron into the par 5 just short of green and I mean, you could have got -- I couldn't have got there with two of my best yesterday.

So there's more scoring chances on -- I think every hole is a great chance with a good tee shot and obviously you've got room to maneuver the ball on the golf course which I love, and the guys at the top of the leaderboard are going to love as well.

Q. How ready do you feel your game is to play over in the US and how much of a goal is that for you?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: My game's ready. The events I've played, I think I've missed one cut. My style of golf suits out here. I hit it high. I hit it reasonably long. I've just struggled to adjustment to the speed of the greens of the greens are so much faster here week-in and week-out.

I just find it hard to adjust the line from the pace. I'm a good putter back in Europe when the greens are running normally, no more than ten, 11 on the Stimp. I think that's my main adjustment I've got to make.

Q. How much of a goal is it to come play over here?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: It's everyone's goal in world golf. You ask anyone on The Challenge Tour back home, they want to one day play on the PGA TOUR.

But you've got to remember where you come from and where it all started, and European Tour has been a huge, huge part of that. If I could pick a perfect schedule, it would be the exact same one as Tommy Fleetwood's. You play in Europe and you play over here, and you split it roughly 50/50. That's where everyone wants to be at when they play on The European Tour, and obviously this is the top table on the PGA TOUR.

Q. Do you have a guess as to what the lead might be at the end of the day?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: I think it will get close to 10. There's so many chances. I'm just not too happy with the way I finished, but there's a lot of chances on the golf course. The wind is getting up a little bit more, feels like, yeah, there's an easy -- someone is going to cruise out there with 5-under par I think in one of the final groups.

Q. I know you're disappointed with the last, but congratulations because that's a pretty solid 17 holes before that. Your iron play continues to be a strong point of your game, is it?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: Yeah, although I said I didn't drive it good, I'm not in trouble. I'm never normally in trouble. It's normally, if it's off, it's just off the fairway and it's just in the first cut. Iron play has been brilliant. I feel like I can move the ball but both ways which is huge in the wind. Just need to see a few putts go in.

Q. I know you probably expect this of yourself, but to make it sort of five cuts in five majors, pretty pleasing?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: Yeah, it's good, but I've not challenged in one yet. So although making cuts and picking up points, I feel like I'm miles off where I want to be. I want to be challenging on a Sunday, and this week, I'm just -- this weekend, I'm making up the numbers, it feels.

That's the disappointing part, but you can't have it all at the one time.

Q. And also, I guess tomorrow the goal is to make a big leap up the board will you how also could you deal with this predicted 35-, 40-mile-an-hour winds they are talking about?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: Just enjoy it. It's part of the game. The tougher it is, the better it is, I suppose. If you have a good score in that kind of wind, then you're going to leapfrog a fair few players. Hopefully we can get tough weather and I can play good and we rise up the leaderboard.