Robert MacIntyre ‘wishes’ modern game would do one thing

If you’re looking for a tour pro to defend national opens, Robert MacIntyre is your man.

The 28-year-old, of course, has already established an incredible relationship with some of the game’s biggest events, including on home soil.

MacIntyre claimed his first PGA Tour win at the RBC Canadian Open 12 months ago before sealing a dream win at The Renaissance Club a month later.

Just weeks after an unforgettable triumph alongside dad, Dougie, he tasted glory at the Genesis Scottish Open in July.

And as he returns to defend his title in Canada this week, MacIntyre has once again made an impassioned plea about the open events.

“I spoke of this before,” the Scot said. “I think it’s massive. National opens are huge.

“Being from Europe, we’ve got a lot of national opens — Scottish Open, French Open, Spanish Open, one event in Belgium, last week in Austria.”

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MacIntyre continued: “I just think it brings out more if there’s one event in a specific area, like here this week. There’s a lot of Canadian players here this week who want to win the Canadian Open.

“Everyone wants to win this week, but it just adds an extra incentive for the Canadian guys because it’s the Canadian Open, and I think the crowd also builds on that.”

For MacIntyre, though, their stature isn’t being rewarded. He wishes the professional game did more to showcase them.

“I mean, I get it in Scotland,” he said of the crowd’s support. “And elsewhere, wherever, like a Frenchman in France, it’s the exact same stuff.”

“National opens are a massive part of the game. I just wish that we’d done more to promote a lot more national opens.”

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MacIntyre, who returned to Hamilton Golf and Country Club with his dad on Monday, has had a patch start to the season but can see a ‘light at the end of the tunnel’.

He finished T6 at the Charles Schwab Challenge at the end of May and T20 at last week’s Memorial Tournament.

“It’s not been kind of easy sailing for me this year,” he added. “It’s been a little bit of trying to fix certain things.

“But now I feel like we’re on the right path and the game’s starting to kind of merge together.”

John Turnbull A graduate of the University of Stirling, John joined the bunkered team in 2023 as a Content Producer, with a responsibility for covering all breaking news, tour news, grassroots content and much more besides. A keen golfer, he plays the majority of his golf at Falkirk Tryst Golf Club. Top of his 'bucket list' is a round of Pebble Beach... ideally in the company of Gareth Bale.