Robert MacIntyre -- called Bob by a lot of folks in golf -- is an up-and-coming 22-year-old Scottish pro who has quickly made a name for himself with a first-round 3-under 68 in the 2019 British Open Championship at Royal Portrush.
Playing his rookie season on the European Tour, MacIntyre has been making a name for himself as a potential future Ryder Cup player. However, the left-hander's journey to the European Tour and into The Open Championship hasn't been a straight line.
MacIntyre's successful European Tour rookie season
MacIntyre earned his way to the European Tour for the 2018-2019 season by finishing 12th on the 2018 European Challenge Tour money list, with the top 15 players earning European Tour status.
He ended calendar 2018 with a pair of T-15 finishes in European Tour events in South Africa, co-sanctioned with the Sunshine Tour. That set him up to play in a pair of events in the Desert Swing to start 2019.
Throughout the early portion of the season, MacIntyre consistently made cuts but struggled to pop back into the top 15.
When the European Tour came back to Europe, MacIntyre began to shine. He posted back-to-back runner-up finishes, first in the Betfred British Masters, then in the Made in Denmark. All of a sudden, MacIntyre was in the top 125 in the Official World Golf Ranking and comfortably inside the top 30 in the European Tour's Race to Dubai, which is how he earned a spot at Royal Portrush.
A multi-sport athlete
Robert MacIntyre wasn't truly focused on golf until some five years ago. He played a sport called shinty in Scotland (known as hurling in Ireland) and was quite good at it. However, he returned to golf more seriously as he was preparing to end primary school (high school).
Ultimately, MacIntyre went to college in the United States at McNeese State. In 2015, he was a member of the All-Southland Conference first team, and he was the conference freshman of the year in golf. He led the team in scoring average.
After competing in the 2017 Walker Cup on the Great Britain and Ireland team, MacIntyre turned pro, playing predominantly on the Challenge Tour. His first pro win came on the MENA Tour in Kuwait, which helped spur him on to a T-37 finish in the European Tour Q-School, which earned him his spot on the Challenge Tour.
