It’s nice work if you can get it. Over the next four weeks, Robert MacIntyre will be playing for a total prize fund of more than £25million as he bounces around the globe in a cash-soaked, end-of-season bonanza that should at least bolster his Christmas shopping fund.
“What a schedule,” he gushed as he pondered a four-stop tour that starts at the WGC HSBC Champions event in China this week and is followed by the Turkish Airlines Open, the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa and the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
MacIntyre’s splendid rookie season on the European Tour has been rewarded with the opportunity to dip his bread in this sloshing gravy boat.
A debut in a WGC event is another box to tick off in his rapid rise and the Oban man is hoping such star-studded occasions can become a regular part of his schedule in the new year.
“The ultimate goal for the rest of the year is to try to get into the world’s top 50 before Christmas as that would take care of everything for next year,” said the world No.88 of his push to break into the leading 50 and seize all the huge opportunities that come with being in such a lofty echelon.
“It is my first time playing a WGC and also the first time playing the final few events in the Race to Dubai. If I can go into these next few weeks and throw in some good performances, I don’t see why I can’t achieve my aim.”
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This time last year, MacIntyre, who is now the leading Scot on the world rankings, was preparing for the second-tier Challenge Tour’s Grand Final where he would eventually clinch promotion to the main circuit.
The mighty strides he has made since then have been so big, he’s probably ripped the stitching on his troosers.
“I didn’t really expect to be in this position heading into the final few weeks of the season,” added the 23-year-old, who is currently seventh on the Race to Dubai rankings but is certainly not one for resting on his comfy laurels.
“My goal at the start of the season was to keep my card somehow but, as I have discovered, things can move fast in this game.
“It is a good thing to be sitting as the Scottish No.1 on the world rankings but, for me, it is just about playing golf. I don’t get too caught up in things like that.
“Yes, it is nice to achieve that milestone, but the main thing is that I try to keep moving up the world rankings. I don’t see why I can’t. It’s already been a rookie season to remember for a variety of reasons.”
Getting on to the European Tour in the first place is hard enough. Establishing a solid foothold at the top table can be even tougher.
While many new recruits struggle to make the transition, MacIntyre has thrived and has dealt with each new experience like a well-versed veteran.
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That he wrapped up his tour card early meant he could approach the rest of the campaign with the kind of carefree nonchalance you’d get with a jolly dance through a meadow.
“I feel like I have been free-wheeling since finishing second in the Made in Denmark event in May and securing my card,” MacIntyre said of the second of his three runners-up finishes this season.
“Since then, I’ve had an attitude where I’ve been able to just tee it up and smash it. There’s not really been a worry.
“People obviously have expectations about me now, but I don’t really worry about that.
“I just go and play golf. If it’s good, then great, but, if not, I will just have to go away and work on something. I’m just looking forward to the opportunity to try to top things off over the next month.”
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