The other week at the Scottish Open, Robert MacIntyre described himself as a kettle that’s ready to boil over.
Boiling point was reached at Royal Birkdale yesterday during a final, frustrating round at The Open.
His closing few holes could’ve been accompanied by a high-pitched whistling sound and billowing steam. Pass the PG Tips, will you?
When MacIntyre thumped his driver into the turf on the 16th tee in a fit of pique, the R&A officials, with their new code of conduct in mind, stepped in. Tut tut, Robert.
A statement swiftly followed. “Robert MacIntyre was issued with an official warning under The Open serious misconduct policy for slamming a club into the ground after his tee shot on the 16th hole,” it read.
Spain’s Jon Rahm was handed a similar reprimand earlier in the championship for hurling his club in a fury.
After finishing his major season with a one-over 71 for a two-under aggregate, MacIntyre, who can be as fiery as the baked Birkdale fairways, remained unrepentant.
“I expect to get a few of them in my career,” said MacIntyre, who was also given a ticking off by Augusta high heid yins earlier this season for his behaviour at the Masters.
“I run hot. So be it. I'm going to do it for the rest of my career. I try and toe the line.
"But when you feel you're playing a golf course that you can hit it pretty much anywhere and there's no real punishment and then you do hit one slightly off line and you get the biggest punishment you can possibly get, it's just a sore one.
“Again, I'm going to react aggressively at times. It’s part of my DNA.”
The implementation of a code of conduct has been a sizeable talking point in golf this season.
At the Masters, Sergio Garcia was only given a warning when he broke his club in a rage at the Masters. At the US Open, meanwhile, Joaquin Niemann was handed a two-shot penalty for tossing a club.
Asked about the lack of consistency in the punishments, MacIntyre responded with a shrug of his shoulders.
“To be honest, I couldn't care less,” added the Oban man. “If I got a two-shot penalty, it's my fault. A warning, it's my fault. I don't really worry about it.”
MacIntyre had made a sturdy start to his Open challenge on Thursday but couldn’t capitalise on it and his challenge petered out over the weekend.
As he raked over the coals, the 29-year-old, who was playing alongside the charging Cameron Young, admitted that Birkdale is not a course that plays into his hands.
“Coming in this week, I thought I had a real good chance,” he said of his Open ambitions, after a third-place finish in the previous week’s Scottish Open.
“But the more I play this golf course, the more I realise that it doesn't set up that well for me.
“There are certain holes that the longer hitters are taking drivers on and there's no punishment. I feel like that's the way professional golf is going.
“I get we're trying to get crowds but links golf needs gorse bushes. I'm watching everyone bomb a driver down nine.
“There's one gorse bush down the left-hand side. It needs gorse bushes. Cam (Young) has hit a slightly wider one, but he knows it's fine (to do that) and then he's pitched up to six feet and holed it.
“It wasn't to be my week. But there’s always next year.”
While MacIntyre downs tools and heads for a three-week break, his fellow Scot, Jack McDonald, will be going back to work in the pro shop at Whitecraigs Golf Club.
The 33-year-old made the cut on the limit on Friday night and closed with a 74 for an eight-over tally. His cheque for almost £29,000 was the biggest of his playing career.
The undoubted highlight of his Open week was an eagle on the 10th during the second round where he holed his second shot from 115-yards.
“I think I’ve seen that shot about 15 times on the TV,” said McDonald with a smile. He’ll probably watch it a few more times too.
McDonald, who also played in the 2024 Open at Troon, already has his eyes on next year’s final qualifier for the St Andrews showpiece.
The Barassie man earned his place in his two Opens at Dundonald Links and he’ll give it another go at nearby Gailes Links in 2027.
“It’s just an extra minute’s drive,” he chuckled. “It would be unbelievable to play in an Open at St Andrews. So, that’s the goal for next year.”
For the time being, it’s back to the day job.
