Robert MacIntyre opens up on “worst week of my life”

Robert MacIntyre has described his final push for the European Ryder Cup team as “probably the worst week I’ve ever had”.

The Scot secured his place on Luke Donald’s team following the conclusion of the Omega European Masters on Sunday.

And in a candid appearance on this week’s episode of The bunkered Podcast, the 27-year-old lifted the lid on the “torture” he endured as the qualifying period drew to a nail-biting close.

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“The last week was probably the worst week I’ve ever had, if I’m being honest with you,” said MacIntyre. “I was sitting in my hotel room all last week and not wanting to do anything. There was so much going on. It was just hell. I wasn’t playing good. I’ve always struggled at altitude and I was just negative thinking. I had it all written. ‘I’m not in the team, they’re going to pip me.’ It was difficult.

“After the Open, I said I wasn’t going to play until Prague [the Czech Masters]. I literally found out after I signed my scorecard and did all the media stuff at The Open that the cut-off was Crans. I thought it was Wentworth, so then we kept one up our sleeve that we were going to go to Ireland.

“We kept it all hush-hush to try and maybe steal a march on folk. Obviously, Victor Perez had the same idea. We both went and played. I didn’t play great. Got the rust off. Picked up two or three points for the Ryder Cup and. Yeah, every point was vital at the end.

“I was keeping an eye on what guys were scheduling, what shots guys were hitting on the first tee, what shots they were hitting into the green. I couldn’t get away from it.

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“I was driving down the hill and going towards the airport, watching every shot on the live tracker of Yannik and Adrian. I was just over the moon when I realised that I was in automatically. I put everything into making this team and I’m here now.”

MacIntyre will meet up with his teammates at next week’s BMW PGA Championship and reckons that’s when the enormity of his achievement will sink in.

“I’m pretty chilled just now,” he added. “I think I’ll feel the buzz in the next week. On Sunday, when I go to Wentworth, there’ll be a buzz around the team because everybody will be there and I’m part of something that’s hopefully going to be special.

“I can’t put into words what it’s going to feel like because I don’t know yet but I expect it’ll be all of the above: nerve-wracking, scary, brilliant. It’s going to be absolutely everything.”

The 2023 Ryder Cup takes place at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome from September 29 to October 1.

To listen to the full interview with Robert MacIntyre, click here.

Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Deputy Editor