Bob MacIntyre: Jose Maria Olazabal heaps praise on Ryder Cup hopeful

Former Ryder Cup-winning captain Jose Maria Olazabal has lavished praise on Scotland’s Bob MacIntyre, insisting: “He has the full game.”

Two-time Masters champion Olazabal – the architect of the ‘Miracle at Medinah’ in 2012 – talked up the young Scot during in a stint in the Hero Cup commentary booth.

MacIntyre starred on the opening day of the match between Great Britain & Ireland and their Continental Europe counterparts. 

He and Seamus Power teamed up to defeat Sepp Straka and Adrian Meronk 4&3 in the anchor match of Friday’s fourballs, putting the only full point on the board for Tommy Fleetwood’s men as Franceso Molinari’s side opened up an early 3-2 lead. 

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Hopes are high that two-time DP World Tour winner MacIntyre can use this week as a launchpad to make his Ryder Cup debut later this year and Olazabal certainly seems to be impressed.

“I think Robert has the whole game,” said the Spaniard. “On top of that, he has attitude and character and I like that, especially when it comes to matchplay. His short game is really beautiful. 

“There’s a shot that sticks to my mind from the practice round on [hole] eight. There was a stiff breeze into and he was, like, 40 yards away from the hole. 

“He hit a lovely pitch. The ball didn’t go up high at all and it pitched about a foot from the hole and stopped dead. It shows you how classy he is with those sort of shots and I think he has the full game.”

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MacIntyre and Power proved to be an inspired partnership on day one of the Hero Cup, with the Oban man striking up an immediate rapport with the US-based Irishman.

“We only just met the other day when we played with Shane [Lowry],” he said. “I’ve got a connection with him, same background, so it’s been fun. Scotsmen and Irishmen always get on well. It was overall a good day.”