GENESIS SCOTTISH OPEN

July 5, 2022

Robert MacIntyre

The Renaissance Club

Press Conference

CLARE BODEL: Thanks for joining us all here at the genesis Scottish Open. Just to kick off, your home open here at the Renaissance Club again and you said in the past the last time we were here a few months ago, the course has gone from strength to strength. How is it to be here.

ROBERT MacINTYRE: It's been brilliant. I played nine holes when I was here last, and the change on the 10th was massive. As a golf tournament, seeing the field we get this year, The Scottish Open itself, the tournament has gotten bigger and bigger. It's great to see and competing against the best in the world is what it's all about.

CLARE BODEL: You're here as the No. 1 Scotsman in the rankings. Does that give you a little bit of confidence going in.

ROBERT MacINTYRE: I'm seeing good signs in my game, good performance last week. Changed quite a few things but we're still pushing to do the same things and trying to get better, trying to win golf tournaments.

Q. Inaudible.

ROBERT MacINTYRE: Yeah, saw signs 2 1/2, three weeks ago, part of the reason I've seen a change -- not naming names, just stupid message in there. But I was doing the same thing and I was hitting the same as always. So wanted to change the results and to do that, I had to change something, and the last two weeks, never missed a cut -- last week I felt buzz back when I was playing golf and suddenly I felt we're back in a golf tournament. It's been a while since I felt like that. It's just a different voice telling me something, or same voice, different way of doing it.

ROBERT MacINTYRE: That's something won't change -- when I'm standing over the shot, it's like how to get this ball where I want next. So it's just a different way of doing it, the process, and it's such a help of me getting away from the result of having -- what I'm doing just now, thinking about it more.

Q. What's your position on LIV players being able to play this tournament?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: It's a golf tournament, and -- that's the biggest weeks of my career, this week, The Scottish Open, best field ever, Open Championship at the Home of Golf, it's going to be my biggest golf tournament I've ever played in my life and that's all I'm here to talk about. I just want to play good the next few weeks. The rest of the stuff, can go on with it.

Q. Do you think it's being over shadowed when it's such an important week for golf?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: It can be but I'm here to try and win The Scottish Open, next week try to win The Open Championship. These two weeks are massive for my game and my career. I have a chance the next few weeks to do something special and I'm not worrying about what's going on.

Q. The prestige, can you talk about how it's matured over the years, and this year -- how proud are you that this is now a tournament that so many players want to be a part of and like yourself?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: Yeah, it's great for everyone, DP World Tour, Scottish Open, done an unbelievable job in getting everything and pushing everything forward.

When we first came here, it was worrying when obviously we had the poor weather and wind and scores skyrocketed. They put so much time and effort into having a change on golf course. This year, it's a different golf course, and looking at the weather, it's the same. This golf tournament, it's one of the best. It's always been one of my big ones but now it feels like it's right up there with every golf tournament.

Q. Some people have said in the past that -- this particular week, but I'm guessing with the PGA TOUR now being on board, can you explain what you've seen how the tournament's been elevated?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: I think with the alliance, I'm not sure the number, is it 14 of the Top 15 in the world that are here this week. There's not many golf tournaments you get that -- you might get it at Tiger's event but playing for The Open Championship as well, coming to compete -- for that to be at The Scottish Open is massive. For us guys, especially when we are getting invites, the Scottish guys, that's what it's about, and so trying to grow the game in Scotland as well, one of the best tournaments in the world.

Q. Earliest memory?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: Earliest would be probably Edfors winning at Loch Lomond.

Q. Were you there?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: I was there. I remember -- from behind the level, castle at the back of the 18th, and always used to be a special one for us.

Q. You've talked about the changes you've made with your caddie. How hard is it to make that decision and how hard is it to find a caddie?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: So we changed the caddie two years ago now, this event. It was -- I felt like I got to a level that I'm stuck at. I felt I needed a way of getting just that little bit better. Scoped out Mikey Thomson; he wasn't caddying. Got Stoddy, my manager to phone him up and spoke to him and he came on board straightaway and it's been good. Just changed coach, for that little bit better -- so small, the margins are so fine now that I know what I'm looking for and I know myself and I know what I need to get better and I feel like I'm also on the right path now.

Q. These two events, do you feel you're putting too much pressure on yourself?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: Yeah, potentially. The only pressure that I get is from me. Outside can be whatever you want, but this week, social media -- I'm here to try and compete, but yeah, there's always an expectation from me, from myself and obviously it going to get piped up a little bit more because it is The Scottish Open and the open. It's on home soil but at the end of the day I've got to try and stick to what I do. Last week, I played another good result and I'm seeing signs.

Last wee while I've been hard on myself, results haven't gone my way and I haven't played at a level I know I can play at. I think I've been getting on top of myself too easily; one bad shot, it's a disaster.

Munich was an eye-opener that I can't let these things happen. I missed the cut and 30 holes, I was on top of the leaderboard and after 36 I was on the way home. Stuff like that, and last week, I realised, keep doing what I'm doing and I know why that happened, and we stuck to what we were doing for 72 holes and it was far better. I took away the noise from it within myself and played decent golf.

There's never been a change -- I know, I've played so many sports growing up and I know, I get people want to be there and compete from a young age and play the sport but that wasn't me growing up. I always wanted to win, whether I was playing in the house with my mom or playing golf, I like to win and that hasn't changed.

Q. How much golf --

ROBERT MacINTYRE: You can go too far one way and you can go too far another. The last wee while, I felt I was relying too much on my touch. But you'll see this week, or the last couple of weeks -- inaudible -- taking the second shinty -- just getting a little feel with my body, my muscles to try and replicate, that's the perfect spot for me. But again, just trying to get the ball there. Start to swing it a little bit more mechanical.

Q. (Inaudible).

ROBERT MacINTYRE: It's golf. I'm here to play The Scottish Open and The Open and I'm just here to play golf and it's not my business.

Q. Given the format, would anything else make you watch it --

ROBERT MacINTYRE: I'm too busy. I'm too busy sitting on my couch watching TV or playing shinty. I'm not going to address it -- on weeks off I don't watch golf. I chill out with family and friends and play a bit of shinty here and there.

Q. Inaudible.

ROBERT MacINTYRE: It changes quite a bit. It's a great opportunity for myself, especially, 25-year-old, and you've got a pathway to the strongest fields in golf. To me, everybody strives to play against the best players in the world and right now the best players in the world play the PGA TOUR and with the alliance, it gives us an opportunity to get there.

Obviously you never forget where you came from and you never forget where you started championship golf but if I can compete against the best players in the world, I'll take that chance. For me it's an absolute brilliant opportunity going forward for the rest of the season. That means I might not have to chance the Korn Ferry Tour finals -- I'll found out after next week, too much going on and after that, we'll decide if we go Hillside or what we do going forward.