When Robert MacIntyre was struggling to settle on a caddie for this week’s RBC Canadian Open, he picked up the phone to his father Dougie last weekend.
A greenkeeper back in Oban, Scotland, McIntyre Sr took the call on a Saturday night and was on a flight at 8am the next morning to carry the bag for his son.
A week later, MacIntyre is a first-time PGA Tour winner, holding off a chasing pack including the likes of Rory McIlroy to pocket a winner’s cheque for £1.33million.
MacIntyre had relocated to Orlando in his bid to crack this side of the Atlantic but readily admitted he had struggled with homesickness prior to his SOS call back home.
Following the win, he said: “It’s everything for me and my family. I can’t believe I’ve done it with him on the bag.
“I’m crying with joy but I’m laughing because I didn’t think it was possible. I was going down the last and my dad’s trying to tell me to stay focused and swing smooth because [on Saturday] I got a little bit too fast but, in my head, I wasn’t listening to him.
“I wanted to win this for my dad, this is the guy who has taught me the game of golf, and I just can’t believe I have done this with him on the bag.”
