I was reading something the other week about a nationwide survey of British adults which revealed that we waste one hour and 37 minutes each day on fruitless activity.

“Mercifully, it doesn’t take me that long to wade through the Tuesday column,” muttered the sports editor as he nonchalantly caressed his duelling scar and began poring over the weekly wafflings with the grim, tight-lipped countenance of a man rubbing down a stubborn verruca with an over-used Emery board.

According to this poll of meaningless tasks, which in itself was a largely meaningless task, the head-scratching process of trying to remember a password which protects our privacy and particulars garnered 35 per cent of the vote in this age of identity theft which is so rampant, even you – yes, you reading this – could be having your own reflection stolen right this minute.

Frankly, I’m surprised passwords weren’t higher on this list of infernal footerings and plooterings. Let’s face it, everyday life seems to be a series of passwords. And what’s the main purpose of these passwords? That’s right. They exist to be forgotten as you sit there in cursing, crotchety futility trying to recall a variety of pet names, special characters and elaborate sequences that have all gone into making these ruddy necessities memorable only for their sheer unmemorableness.

Nothing provokes more despairing groans and harrumphs of sighing resignation quite like an email giving you instructions on how to reset the password you’ve forgotten because you know fine well you’ll get the same email in a few weeks’ time telling you how to reset another bloomin’ password you’ve already forgotten.

The Herald:

READ MORE: Coach David Burns not surprised by Robert MacIntyre's European Tour rise

As far as Scottish golf is concerned, meanwhile, at least Robert MacIntyre is becoming seared on our minds. His second successive runners-up finish on the European Tour in Denmark on Sunday underlined his myriad qualities and continued the Oban left-hander’s terrific campaign in his first season as a member of the main circuit.

Scotland hasn’t had a rookie of the year winner since Marc Warren, inset, in 2006 but MacIntyre is making a right good fist of landing that award. Will the maiden victory arrive? Well, one certainly hopes so but, as we all know, winning doesn’t come easily in this game.

English Ryder Cup player Oliver Wilson, for instance, had nine runners-up finishes on the tour before finally hauling himself over the line in his 228th event on the circuit and winning the Dunhill Links Championship in 2014.

At 22, MacIntyre has plenty of time on his side and, most importantly, he has managed to establish himself at the top table in a way that a succession of young, talented and keenly championed Scottish golfers before him did not.

In many ways, MacIntyre’s rise to prominence goes against the Caledonian trend. Here is a golfer who achieved just about everything he could in the amateur game actually hitting the ground running in the professional scene and thriving, from winning in just his second professional event on the third-tier to coming up through the Challenge Tour in his first full year in 2018 and now making great leaps on the main circuit itself.

There have been countless Scots down the seasons with similarly shimmering amateur cvs who we thought were can’t-fails or would at least be solid touring campaigners. None of them have come close to making it.

READ MORE: Robert MacIntyre finishes second again on European Tour in Denmark

Of course, in this nation’s esteemed position as the cradle of the game, we have no right to success. We were spoiled by the exploits of the likes of Sandy Lyle, Colin Montgomerie, Sam Torrance, Paul Lawrie or Catriona Matthew who were all successful for very different reasons. In this very individual game, there is certainly no one-size-fits-all model.

You can talk and argue about development programmes here or pathways and academies there but there is no support system which can burnish natural talent with the necessary drive and discipline.

That only comes from within. As his coach, David Burns, said yesterday: “There’s a huge amount between his ears.”

With his fairly fearless approach when involved in the giddy nip-and-tuck down the stretch over the last fortnight, MacIntyre has shown he’s got that certain something while continuing to display an endearing down-to-earth demeanour which is as homely as a night in his Oban living room.

That canny, quiet nature is allied to a focussed and fierce competitive instinct, however, and you can see him growing in confidence and stature every week.

Those who succeed in individual pursuits have the strong will and single-mindedness to prosper out with a system and question what will not be right for them.

The Herald:

READ MORE: Nick Rodger: Brooks Koepka’s major moments deserve wider recognition

MacIntyre was only a teenager when he decided a golf scholarship in the US was not for him and quit. That was in 2015 and the former Walker Cup player has not looked back since.

In that time he’s been taken under the nurturing wing of Iain Stoddart and his Bounce management team who have done a grand job in getting leading amateur players valuable professional experience before guiding them through the perils and pitfalls of that amateur-to-pro transition.

It’s an adaption many golfers, not just Scottish ones, struggle to cope with. In the remorseless, unforgiving business of professional golf, with its fine margins and the complexities of its demands, you need more than talent alone to prosper amid the abundant rigours.

With his tour card already safe, MacIntyre has a wonderful platform upon which to build. He’s still a work in progress... but, my word, he’s making fine progress.