ITALIAN OPEN

September 18, 2022

Robert MacIntyre

Marco Simone Golf & Country Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Delighted to welcome Robert MacIntyre, winner of the 2022 DS Automobiles Italian Open.

Bob, describe the emotions after that victory, beating Matt Fitzpatrick in a playoff there.

ROBERT MacINTYRE: Yeah, obviously it was a bit stressful at the end. Them two dropped shots I had on 14 and 15 didn't make things easy. But I stuck in and managed to pick up my two shots on 16 and 18. But again, a playoff is a lottery. You're 50/50 and I managed to hit two great shots on to the fringe and it was just see if I could get down in two and obviously Matt had his chance. But just thankful that it fell my way.

THE MODERATOR: Your second win on the DP World Tour, and your first since Cyprus in 2020. What were the emotions after that?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: To be honest I was surprised I managed to bomb the hole. Obviously my first win was a 72-hole golf tournament. This one feels pretty special.

Q. Your great iron shots, can you tell us which is the combination today?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: Yeah, this is something I've been working on for about a year now. We realized that my play wasn't strong enough. Stuart Morgan and Performance Golf just pointed that out in the stats to say that you need to get better from 100 to 175 yards.

Today it was absolutely brilliant. I felt in so much control of the golf ball from that range, and that's just down to doing the right things in practise. I can't think all my team enough, and I will later on, I'll speak to them all. It's something special to be able to get across the line again.

Q. Can you tell us about the exciting finishing holes, 16, 17 and 18?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: Yeah, today they were perfect for me. Obviously yesterday I had a shocker of a finish. 16 wasn't pretty but two dropped shots on 14 and 15 and had two chances. Just whether or not the guys got too far ahead to catch.

But 16, a drivable hole, it was just really -- it didn't suit the wind direction today, so I was trying to hit in the green-side bunker, which I did, and then take my chances, try to get up-and-down, and I did. My bunker play has been great for a while there.

17, tough position. Wasn't to be.

And then 18, stood up a bit nervous and I hit the tee shot as hard as I could and thankfully it went obviously in. Just the second shot, again in, that wind direction didn't suit me. I knew I had to commit to what I was doing and hit probably a 4-iron a bit heavy but the heavy shot always goes straight and it was perfect, obviously, and just two-putted and then sit and wait.

Q. Can you tell us about your history?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: I grew up in a small town on the West Coast of Scotland called Oban, a whiskey town, tourist destination. 'Gateway to the Aisles,' it's called. Beautiful place. I'm born and bred there. Still got my own place so, so I still live there. I played golf, played lots of sports growing up. Still play a sport called shinty back home. It's just from a young age, I was brought up to play all sports. My family were a very sporting family, and I'm lucky enough to have picked the right one I think.

Q. You were playing so well and then 15, I was worried --

ROBERT MacINTYRE: I was worried as well, don't worry.

Q. Sorry to say that.

ROBERT MacINTYRE: I've not been in this position since Cyprus, 2020. I've not won many 72-hole golf tournaments, even as an amateur. I was always just falling short unless I run away with it, and I was getting uncomfortable.

But as I've been told many, many times, it's okay to be uncomfortable. You have to get comfortable being uncomfortable. Just embrace it. I hit a terrible 8-iron into 15 that I thought could cost me the golf tournament. Hit a great bunker play and missed the short putt and thinking, it's going to be one shy. But I can't control what anyone else does. I had to go out there and try and birdie 16 and 18, and thankfully I've done it. But I was rattled on 15.

Q. You rattled really well coming in after that, so that's the most part. This course as a lefty, is it more difficult, do you think?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: I'm not sure. I've not really thought about it. Again, it's just a golf course. For me, it's pretty simple. If you hit it where you aim, you'll do all right. Thankfully today for the majority of it, I aimed it well, I hit it all right and the putter worked.

Q. What's your thoughts on next year, Ryder Cup?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: Well, it's not a bad start. Obviously the points started last week. Coming into this week, I didn't play the golf course last year, I didn't play the tournament, and I didn't know what to expect. I played in the practise round, the rough was thick and was thinking, man, how am I getting around this place. I wasn't driving it well. Worked on a lot of things, thanks to my new coach, and it worked. I just have to trust it.

The golf course is tough. You've got to drive it well and you've got to do everything well. Thankfully today, I felt so much in control of the golf ball until 14. The wedge shot into 14 was the first time I was uncomfortable. I picked the wrong shot, the wedge shot, but if you do that, you can do that over 72 holes, but the golf course, it tests from you the first hole to the last hole. Hopefully I can -- I've got one goal for the season, for the next year, and that's to be on that Ryder Cup Team back here.

I'm playing on the golf course The Ryder Cup is going to be held and going against some of the best players in the world, but there is still a long, long way to go and I've started off in perfect fashion. I can't think of a better way it start than winning. Just now, going to go celebrate with friends and family, going to go home, and yeah, this one, this is special.