RBC CANADIAN OPEN

June 1, 2024

Robert MacIntyre

Hamilton Golf and Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Awesome rally and resilience at the end. What kind of allowed you to flip that switch and finish so strong?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: I think it's my attitude now. I've spoken about it all week. I've been in a good mindset from the get-go and had zero expectation at the start of the week. Obviously, the prep wasn't good and having to get a visa and whatnot, it was just, it wasn't working out well. But that is kind of something that's helped my attitude. I've had less expectation, more just, let's see how it goes. Yeah, just today I just stuck in there. I didn't have it great at the start, but I feel like whenever I dropped a shot I bounced back with maybe two good shots into the green, and I would pick up a shot back. I just, it never got away from me. A bit of luck, a bit of myself being staying in the moment, staying calm. I got my reward with the putter in the end.

Q. Anything your dad said to you throughout the round that kind of helped you?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: Yeah, he was having a wee go at me when I was walking from the 10th tee down to the fairway. Look, he was a sporting guy, he knows how to win, knows how to lose, he's been through it all. He could see my head going a little bit and he's like, what have you been working on for the last eight weeks, 10 weeks, whatever I've been doing, when I realized what was the problem. I kind of flipped into that mode and tried to find the positive in everything.

I think 11 was a big turning point, where I hit a nice drive, ball's in a seeded divot on the fairway, but instead of moaning and mumping and moaning about it, I was like, you know what, this seeded divot allowed me to hit a 6-iron, a cutty 6, and I'm going, if that wasn't in an a seeded divot I wasn't going to hit that shot. So I tried to flip the negatives into positives. Yeah, just started to find momentum. I holed a putt, holed a long putt, and then it just, when it gets rolling it's nice.

Q. On 17, kind of talk the eagle on 17, such a nice way to --

ROBERT MacINTYRE: That's a tough tee shot. The bunkers, I'm not a short hitter, but I'm not the longest, so that right bunker is quite sneaky. When Joel was hitting his third shot in, I seen a guy in green, and my dad asked me, where are you hitting this? And I said, I'm trying to land it on that guy in the green -- I was never reaching him and then he moved on anyway, but it gave me a focused target down the left-hand side, because I knew if I hit it solid I'm covering the left bunker. Yeah, just hit it as hard as I could and it came off perfect.

Q. Some of that advice from your dad like you mentioned the chat you guys had, is that the type of chat that only a father could give? Like, you're going to listen to him more than you would listen to somebody else just because of who he is?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: A hundred percent. I mean, I think -- look, a caddie, caddies are so valuable out here, especially on a golf course like this where it's a lot of slopes. But when you're playing decent, I feel like today especially, like whoever was caddieing for me, I've got that most respect for them, whoever it is. I've had a few. It's just different, it hits differently, because he properly means it. And I know the caddies mean it for another reason, I mean they're obviously wanting us to do well, but my dad wants me to do well because we're blood, you know what I mean, and there's no other, there's nothing other than pride and guts and what we're trying to do. I mean, he's been through thick and thin with me. He taught me how to play the game of golf until really I started working with a coach probably at about 14, 15. To be honest with you, it's just, it was me, him, my family going round four holes at Glencruitten Golf Club out the back of the house for many years.

Q. So that's the type of relationship that you and he have always had, very supportive, but every once in awhile maybe some tough love to smarten you up?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: Don't get me wrong, when he's at home and I'm not doing well he's messaging me going, what the hell's happening, what's this, that, he gives me a bit of advice from afar. I've obviously got my swing coach, Simon Shanks, who has done a great job with me, but if in doubt the video goes back to my dad, you know what I mean? He sees things that I've done for many years, almost since I was probably 10 years old and I could start hitting a golf ball properly. But, we just, yeah, we just, we got on so well and it's tough love at times.

Q. I'm wondering if you watched last year's tournament with Tommy and Nick, and in seeing that what are you anticipating from the crowds tomorrow with Mackenzie Hughes tied for second place?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: Yeah, Mackenzie, I know Mackenzie reasonably well. Really nice guy. Obviously in Canada here they want him to do well. I was in that position at Scottish Open last year. It's great to have the support, and I feel like I have great support out here this week with being left-handed, being a massive positive for it. Obviously they're going to be rooting for their guy. I'm going to go out there and try and play my best and give the crowd something to hopefully cheer about good shots and see where we end up. I mean, we got another 18 holes to go.

Q. If your dad doesn't have that wee go at you down 10 how do you think this back nine would have gone for you?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: I'm not sure. I don't know if it was everything, it was something, to kind of kick me into shape. But I was trying so hard to just get out of my own way. Even the tee shot down 10, I mean, I hit it in the fairway, but I left myself 30 yards further than the club I hit off the tee should have. But I was mumping and moaning, going down there, but I was on the fairway. Like, there's no problem. I'm not in the rough. I'm on the fairway. That's what he tried to say to me, like, let's just knuckle down here and get on with it. But it's just so good to have him there and just fighting with me. It's great to have.

Q. What was off with your driver, what do you think it was?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: It's one of them days. I'm human. Tomorrow it could be the best club in the bag. I thought it was decent at the end. I thought I hit nice tee shot down -- well, the back nine, I thought a great tee shot on 11. 4-iron off 12. Iron shot on 13. Good drive down 14, it must have bounced into that first cut. Good 3-wood, good iron shot, good drive. So it was nine holes, but it was pure those nine holes, but it was good, it was just -- we're going to have a rookie patch in a golf tournament, and that he was hopefully mine.

Q. What did you learn from the Ryder Cup experience that will help you tomorrow?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: Quite a lot. There's a couple of things that people have told me, obviously my playing partner Justin Rose, who is, that man's done it all in the game of golf, and so much respect for him, especially being a partner and being side by side fighting for the same cause. He's given me something that I'll never forget, and tomorrow I'm going to try and implement it and play my best and the outcome will be the outcome.

Q. You're not going to tell me what that is, are you?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: No.