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GENESIS SCOTTISH OPEN


July 10, 2024


Robert MacIntyre


North Berwick, Scotland

The Renaissance Club

Press Conference


CLARE BODEL: Bob, welcome back to the Genesis Scottish Open. I think we'll start first with your cap. You're wearing the My Name is Doddie Foundation cap, and you're playing with the charity group for Scott Stewart who has Motor Neurone Disease. How did you enjoy that and how powerful is it meeting someone like Scott?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: Yeah, obviously I try to support as many charities as I can, and the Doddie Foundation became quite a strong one for me in 2019, and guys were doing a lot of stuff for Doddie within the golf. They were playing across borders. A few folk were doing stuff, and I thought it was unbelievable -- I'll never forget from Doddie, and it hit me close. And obviously I was out of contract with manufacturers. It was like, what do I do with my golf bag?

And just came up with the idea of putting a charity on it, and it was what charity. Stoddy spoke to the guys at the Doddie Foundation. Picked that one.

Today was great to spend time with people that are trying to, or people that are doing way more than I'm doing in the fight against Motor Neurone Disease. Seeing Scott there, it's heartbreaking when you actually see it up close. He's speaking to you as a normal guy, and he's going through one of the worst things I could ever imagine, and I think it's just something that everyone that's involved within the Doddie Foundation, and a lot more is wanting to try to find some sort of way forward for the disease.

CLARE BODEL: Well said, Bob.

Back playing at the Renaissance, following quite an exciting week last year. Came very close but since then so much has happened to you. How does it feel to be back and how much are you looking forward to?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: It's great to be home. Even if it's just a trip back home to Oban or landing in Scotland, but playing at home is special and always will be. I'm just looking forward. Hopefully got all the bad weather out of the way yesterday and hopefully have a good week of it. I'm looking forward to the next two weeks.

Q. I believe you were at Wimbledon. What was that like and what do you take from stars at other sports?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: Yeah, obviously I got the invite when I was in the States, and at first I wasn't going to go and because it was this week, and then we actually thought about it, and I'm like, potentially -- last year, went last year Monday as a normal spectator.

But when I got the invite to the Royal Box, I was going to say no because it was this week. But when I thought about it, I was like, this is potentially a once-in-a-lifetime experience of your life, and it was incredible. Obviously a lot of the guys were there and got to chat and stuff. But it was other people you're in the same environment, I didn't know who certain people were until sun told me. I just treat them normally but seeing the level of athleticism in the tennis game. I knew it was fast but it was literally front row, watching the men and women run about -- (laughter)

Q. After what happened last year, what are the expectation levels and how important is it this week?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: As I said to Mike out there, this is probably the most calm I've been. It's not been as frantic. Things have been under control. Yeah, my game has been up-and-down but it's been up-and-down my whole golfing life. But this is the one that as a Scot, I really want. But there's so much that goes into actually winning.

Last year, I came really close but there may not be another opportunity like that in my career playing golf. I've just got to try and play it as another event and give it my absolute best, which I will do.

Q. Young fans joining the players on the green there, what a feeling that must be for the youngsters? If that had been you in that position; did you see that lad that joined you today?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: I think it's great for people to see or get a small snippet, a couple of questions in. I think it's a great idea. Just for me, it brings you back into life. Like I'm just a normal human.

Yeah, I play golf for a living. I worked hard and people sacrifice a lot but at the end of the day, we're just human beings and the young guy there, he was a 25 handicap for a 15-year-old, you never know what he's going to do in his lie. Whether it's working a trade or, you know, a sportsman, just try and speak to them as normal people that they are.

Q. When you go back home, what are some things that you do?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: I don't touch the golf clubs much to be honest. First time I have since we went back there for a few days, played quite a bit of golf. I just find I get brought back down-to-earth, and yeah, I play golf for a living.

Yeah, I'm on TV quite a bit -- well, not so much but nor so in Europe. But when I go back to Oban, I get treated as Bob, one of the boys, not Robert MacIntyre, the golfer. I think that's the way it should be. I think people sometimes get put too much on a pedestal.

When I go back home, I don't go out much if at all. O spend time with friends and family. That's what's important.

Q. You talked about the adjustment. How do you go about wanting to make Florida a hope and finding a balance?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: My rent is up I think about the end of August, and I don't think I'll be getting it renewed to be honest. Scotland is my home, and yeah, I've joined Isleworth. That will always be a place I go and practise in the wintertime but there's nothing like home. Scotland, this is where I want to be.

Q. When you see that Rory gets a plaque now on the 18th hole after last year, do you think you should have one? Have you forgiven him yet?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: I don't think I'll ever forgive him if I don't win a Scottish Open. I've never even seen the plaque. It was an incredible golf shot he hit. That was a winning shot, really. I think he thought he had missed -- well, in a way, he thought he had missed the putt and obviously it kept going and went straight in. But yeah, it's something that you play in a tournament -- generally plant trees, so it's something that it was a good shot and it was a bit heartbreaking.

Q. Wasn't as good as your shot, was it?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: It was different. It was different. Again, it's just something that we both have to do, and I mean, amazingly, we both got a way with it and pulled them off. Rory has had a hell of a career and he's going to continue to do that. Sometimes it goes for you, and sometimes it goes against you, and that one, that one went against me.

Q. Did you speak about it at all? I think the most time you spent with him as at the Ryder Cup. Do you speak with him about it?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: I asked him one question. At some point during the party, I had never -- I had not spoken to him at all about it since the day it happened, and I always wanted to ask him about the putt. And he thought he had missed it. And it went in. So it just shows you; it doesn't have to be perfect for it to work out.

Q. It almost sounded earlier on you were hoping for good weather, but being Scottish, would you prefer like really bad weather out here?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: I mean, I've got windburn today. Links golf needs weather. It doesn't need to rain. It just needs a little breeze. Hopefully we can get reasonable, 10- 15-mile-an-hour winds that can control their scoring. Because after the rain yesterday, look what happened. I think it was 2019, obviously they have adjusted the course and put in a couple of new bunkers to try to limit the drives to be honest with you.

So it is playing -- there is a little bounce on the course, but with that rain, it did soften up a little bit.

Q. Just what you said not renewing the rent on the house, are you still playing over there? Is it going to change?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: No, I'm still going to play over there. Nothing at all is going to change. I'm not going to pay a lot of money for a rent that I'm not staying in. Nothing is changing. Just the rent.

Q. You'll just go back and forth, and you'll play next year?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: I'll maybe take a house for maybe a month, two months when I'm there.

To be honest, it's just, I've realised, it's just the wintertime. I mean, winter in Scotland is not the prettiest. So if I want to compete against the best in the world that are practising in good conditions, good weather, yes, I've got the opportunity to do that. But I don't want to do that the rest of my life when I realised that I like coming back to Scotland.

But to be able to prepare, I think Hawai'i is the first event of the season. Starts January 2nd. I am preparing as good as I can in Oban in Scotland from December to January. So there's going to be a time where you have to go maybe a month there, which is probably fine. It's not a big thing. But it's just, yeah, the only thing I'm changing is I'm not going to be paying a lot of rent.

Q. In the few months before winning, breaking through, I feel like a lot of us were asking you questions and you were so vulnerable with what you were going through, some of these struggles in adapting. Was that easy for you to be vulnerable? Because a lot of people struggle with sharing what's going on with him?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: I'm very easygoing. I tell you what I think. Obviously I try and keep a little bit of the bad out. Well, I don't give all the bad out because it wouldn't be pretty. But I'm very honest, and I'm not the only one. Like, there's ten guys from the DP World Tour that have golf shot gone over there, and I know a lot of people were worse than what I was experiencing. I had Shannon there. I had a lot of my team out there when I needed them. I had friends come out. I had family come out.

But it's just not the same. I've come back this week and I see a lot of familiar faces. There's a lot more interacting with folk. There's a lot more laughs. There's just -- it's a different environment. The way I've brought up, I turned pro on The Challenge Tour going to The European Tour, DP World Tour, I mean, this is what I know.

Obviously America, there's a lot more money, and people travel in groups where here in Europe, we're traveling all over the plant. We go to Asia. A lot of guys go and take teams to certain places and it's just the guys travelling with their caddies and spending a lot more time having lunch at the golf course and a lot more togetherness. I know folks on the PGA TOUR but not anything like the boys in Europe.

Q. Did it make it at all easier to play your best golf when you were sharing what you were going through?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: No, it was more difficult. For me, it was more -- I was trying to make people realise -- it wasn't kind of going, I'm playing bad, this is the reason. It was more just for people to understand that it wasn't going to be -- some people think it's going to be easy and you're just going to play golf, and yes, golf, when you play good golf it takes care of everything.

But for me it was more the lifestyle. You'll notice coming here, the lifestyle is completely different from where you live in the U.S. or wherever it is to back here in Scotland. I find that I'm doing the exact same thing that you're doing this week, but I was doing it from January to whenever I came home in April time. And it was a struggle. I just -- I wasn't enjoying it as much, and I'm fine being open and honest.

Q. You played with Rory in the first couple rounds here before. Can you talk about how you felt then and how you are different, and how you are going to feel tomorrow and Friday?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: Yeah, 2019, I was nervous. Could hardly tee the ball up to be honest. But the experience I've had winning certain tournaments, obviously Ryder Cup, being part of a team with them, yeah, just getting into a group that I feel I've gotten close. I know him a lot better personally. I'm still miles away from being one of his close pals, but I feel like if I ever need an in or ever want to ask a question, I can pick up the phone up and ask him a question, I can ask him. I'm a lot more comfortable with in that environment. And obviously Viktor, I've known since we were 14, 15 years old playing boys' golf. I mean, He's just Viktor.

Q. Greenskeeper this week -- does he have time some off?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: He'll be done at some point this week. He'll be here at some point.

Q. Winning a golf tournament is always very special. What would it mean to you to win this trophy in front of your home fans, especially after being so close last year?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: Again, if it's not a major championship, this is the one I want. Scottish Open, I've watched it since a young boy at Loch Lomond. Scottish Open is the one. There's no other golf tournament, I would say, other than the major championships that would overtake this one.

Q. When you were struggling being new on the PGA TOUR, were there any professional groups at the Tour, any support they could provide?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: No, I wasn't struggling in a way that was -- I was struggling really mentally. I didn't have my MoJo. I don't know, when I went here, I went here this afternoon, I sat down. Like yesterday night, Jordan comes and joins you. Didn't even talk about golf. You're talking about life and what's happening with other things within life.

I just feel like I wasn't doing it to -- I didn't feel like a was struggling severely mentally. I was just I didn't -- I didn't have that -- I didn't know, I was practising a lot when I was over in America. A lot of time I was at Isleworth, I was practising hard. But it just wasn't coming together.

When I came home, end up coming home for a couple of weeks and I still can't put a finger on what it does to me. But it does something that I can't put an exact finger on it. But something changes whether I'm laughing the two or three weeks I'm there. I don't know what it is, but I didn't reach out to anyone for help. I just knew what I needed to do after so long -- well, when I got home, and everything changed.

Q. Having your dad on the bag, is that the secret --

ROBERT MacINTYRE: We'll all find out on Sunday, I suppose.

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