Judging by the footage circulating of Europe’s jubilant Ryder Cup players having a good old knees up the other night, it could be a mad dash for Robert MacIntyre to get to the first tee for this week’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
“There’s a guy back home in Oban who has a restaurant and bar and I said to him ‘if we win the Ryder Cup you are shutting that place and we’ll have a big party for everyone’,” said MacIntyre, who is planning more glass-clinking merriment with family and friends when he gets back to Scottish soil. “Then I’ll pitch up at the Dunhill. But I don’t know when.”
In this game, you have to savour the successes when they come along. In his young career, MacIntyre has claimed two DP World Tour titles, has finished inside the top-10 twice at The Open and has enjoyed a 12th on his Masters debut at Augusta.
Being part of the winning Ryder Cup team as a rookie, though, tops the lot. “It’s my best achievement,” he said the day after the night before.
The 27-year-old earned two-and-a-half points from his three matches and was just one of three players to go unbeaten. Under the canny, guiding hand of the veteran, Justin Rose, who was a fine mentor in the fourballs, MacIntyre grew in stature as the weekend went on. Seeing a couple of putts finally going in lifted his morale too.
A 2&1 win over the US Open champion Wyndham Clark in the Sunday singles put the finishing touches to an eye-opening, eye-catching weekend as Europe reclaimed golf’s cherished little gold chalice.
It was an experience of a lifetime for the young Scot. But he’s determined it won’t be the last time.
“I’m a realist and I don’t know if this will be the only Ryder Cup I play in or the first of many,” added MacIntyre with an appreciation of golf’s fickle fortunes. “But I hope this is one of many.
"I know it might never happen again. But I’ll do everything I can to get back in this team, whether it’s next time in 2025 or in a few years’ time. If this is the only one, then I’ve achieved a dream I’ve held since I knew I was half decent at golf. But I want this to be one of many.”
For those looking on from the sidelines, MacIntyre’s contribution to the European cause was worthy of acclaim. Nicolas Colsaerts, one of Luke Donald’s vice-captains and a rookie himself back in 2012 at the Miracle of Medinah, was certainly impressed as he watched the Scot thrive in a very intense golfing environment.
“On the first day, it was his first game in a Ryder Cup and it is such a different environment,” said the Belgian. “But we believed in him. He made some small contributions in his first match and then on the Saturday in his second match he felt a lot more comfortable.
“He was getting up to speed and, come Sunday? Well, I couldn’t be any happier for him. It’s difficult because people have been saying he was a controversial last qualifier and that can be tough to handle. But we are all so proud of him.
“It’s hard if you play and you don’t win or you don’t make the contribution that you maybe expect to make. But he’s ended his first Ryder Cup with two-and-a-half points from three matches.
“I only got one point in my career and people think I’m a Ryder Cup legend! So, Robert can be extremely proud of himself. Scotland should be extremely proud of him also.”
After all the euphoria that comes with team success, MacIntyre will be on such a high, he’ll probably soar into St Andrews for the Dunhill Links like a bird catching a thermal updraft.
“It takes a couple of weeks to get back to normal because it is such a massive high that you experience,” added Colsaerts.
Having made his mark on the Ryder Cup stage, Colsaerts sees no reason why MacIntyre can’t go on to greater feats.
“We know how good Bob can be and this can definitely be a springboard for him,” said Colsaerts. “Can he play in future Ryder Cups? Of course he can. Now he’s had one, he knows what it’s like to make the team and knows what it is like to be in the team room environment.”
First things first, though. There’s another party to go to.
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