Glencruitten’s Bob MacIntyre capped a stunning Masters debut with a birdie on the 18th to ensure that he will return to Augusta in 2022.
The 24-year-old from Oban finished tied 12th on -2 for the week after carding a level-par 72 on the final day. It was another thrilling round in which he showed his fighting spirit once again towards the end, recovering from back-to-back bogeys on the 16th and 17th to hole a 13ft birdie putt on one of the most famous greens in golf.
“This is a place where you want to be competing every year,” MacIntyre said afterwards. “It was my first time this year, and I obviously put up a decent fight, but once you come here, you don’t want to miss another one.
“I’m not missing next year for anything. I’ve played some great golf over the last week, and I feel like my game suits this golf course. The way I play golf suits the way this golf course wants you to play golf. I’m just over the moon to finish the way I finished.”
MacIntyre now stands at No 44 in the world rankings and is effectively now guaranteed a spot at the PGA Championship next month and at the US Open in June. His American road trip continues this week on the PGA Tour at the RBC Heritage in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.
Asked by a journalist how the reality of Augusta compared to the dream as a youngster, MacIntyre replied: It’s even better. You love a dream and you hope for it, but when you’re here now, it’s different.
“The buzz you get when I’ve holed that putt and then I’ve gone in and seen the scores and where I finished, it’s just everything you want as a kid, and we’ve done it.”
