THERE's nothing in golf quite like the Tiger effect. Just ask Robert MacIntyre. “I was standing on the putting green during the Masters and it was like a herd coming,” reflected the young Scot as he recalled the moment Woods appeared on the scene and sparked the kind of frenzied stampede you’d get when a wildebeest gets spooked by a lurking lion in the undergrowth. “You could hear the rumble. It was wild. The attention on the event was unbelievable.”
April’s Masters was the latest chapter in Tiger’s tale of astonishing comebacks. For MacIntyre, it was another addition to his own collection of major moments.
At Southern Hills for the US PGA Championship this week, the 25-year-old will be hoping to preserve an impressive record which reads eight majors played, eight cuts made. MacIntyre wants to do more than just make cuts, of course, and a share of sixth in The Open in 2019 and a tie for 12th on his Masters debut in 2021 shows that he is a man for the big occasion.
It wouldn’t get any bigger than playing with Woods. “I’ve thought about it,” he said of the possibility of being paired with the 15-time major winner at an event. “I thought I was getting him at the Masters on the Saturday.”
MacIntyre actually played in the group ahead of Woods during the third round at Augusta and one incident still sticks in the Oban man’s mind as he was forced to reload on the 11th tee with Tiger looming behind.
“I’d hit a bad tee shot and ended up in the trees,” he said. “I said, ‘I’m not going back to the tee, I know he (Woods) is there’. But I did. I didn’t even look at him or his playing partner, Kevin Kisner. But I thought ‘he’s just another man’. I mean I’ve spoken to Phil (Mickelson) on the range at Torrey Pines but Tiger now is the only man that I will be in awe of playing with.”
If that happens during championship play, then MacIntyre will embrace the opportunity. As far as his preparations for this week’s showpiece is concerned, the former Scottish Amateur champion will keep it as low key as possible. It’s a routine that has served him well since a debut at The Open three years ago.
“I’ve had a thing from playing in my first major about not putting myself out of my own comfort zone when I can control my environment,” he said. “In a practice round, you can pick and choose who you play with. At The Open in 2019, I put my name down then Ian Poulter put his down and someone else. I pulled my name from it. I didn't want to be in a group that gets attention and scrutinised.”
But if Tiger just happened to ask for a batter about? “I’d say ‘no problem, in you come,” MacIntyre laughed. “Until that happens, though, I’ll not put my name next to his. I want to play with him, though. Growing up, he was the best I’ve ever seen. If I get the chance it’ll be something I’ll never forget.”
The robust examination of Southern Hills will hopefully suit MacIntyre to a tee. It’s at these major tests, after all, where he feels he can thrive.
“These are the events I feel I have the most chance,” said MacIntyre, who will be joined in the line-up in Tulsa by fellow Scot, Russell Knox, who was a late replacement for the injured Paul Casey. “When the scores go to 24 to 30-under, it’s just a putting competition. For me at these majors, they rarely go past 10-under.
“Normally I’ll have a hiccup somewhere but you know it may not cost as much as a normal tour event when the scoring is 20-under or something. At majors, if I get it going I can get in contention. Tee to green my game is as good as it’s ever been. You know everybody will be making mistakes. On the easier courses, you make one mistake and it feels like a double bogey. It hits harder. The tougher courses play to my strengths.
“I’ve been taking a little dip in form but when you’re in the top 100 in the world it’s not easy. There are always going to be blips. I just need a little spark.”
Hopefully, another major moment can provide one.
