Robert MacIntyre is confident he can win on the PGA Tour as he gets set for his first event of the season in Hawaii.
The Scot admits it was a tough decision to move to America and leave his family behind, but says he’s now one step closer to achieving his ultimate dream of winning the Masters.
MacIntyre enjoyed a memorable 2023 with the highlights including a first Ryder Cup appearance as Europe were triumphant in Italy, a runners-up finish at the Scottish Open, and consistent performances that earned the 27-year-old his PGA Tour card for this year.
Having now relocated to the States, MacIntyre will take on new challenges but has self-belief and trusts that if he finds his best form then he has shown that he can be in the mix for titles.
“I’m very confident,” he told STV. “I know my good golf stacks up against the best in the world. I know the Scottish Open is on home turf but that’s as strong a field in golf as you’re going to get at tour events.
“It’s all about getting out of my own way, playing golf, letting my golf happen and I’m going to put in the work. I’ve got the weather and I’ve got no excuses not to be practicing on my weeks off.
“I’m putting everything in place to give myself the best chance to succeed. If I work hard at it, hopefully I will succeed. If not, I gave it everything I’ve got, sacrificed everything.
“For me now, it’s just about putting the work in and making it happen.”
MacIntyre had a taste of the PGA Tour experience in 2021, playing in a handful of tournaments and knows he will have to make adjustments but says the more he plays, the easier it will be to settle.
“I don’t have to change a lot about my game,” he said. “The short game is a bit different with the grain and the different grasses and can be a bit more difficult. But that comes over practice and you start to read different things and different lies.
“I’m a big believer, and I said this from when I began to play professional golf, that good golf is good golf and it doesn’t matter where you are in the world. Whether it’s Challenge Tour, European or PGA, good golf is good golf.”
2023 was a belter 💫… We go again in 24…..🇺🇸 Happy New Year everybody 🥳 pic.twitter.com/S4plmVYo3u
— Robert MacIntyre (@robert1lefty) January 1, 2024
While MacIntyre says he will miss home in Oban and enjoys spending time with his family, he says he’s “calm and relaxed” about the switch and will be able to return to Scotland any time he needs to. He says the fresh challenge is being taken for a reason and he needs to “chase dreams” with one particular tournament at Augusta on his mind.
“For me, I don’t have goals as such but I have always had dreams as a kid playing golf,” he said. “Like, playing in the Ryder Cup was a dream of mine.
“That’s the reason you get up and when you get close and think ‘I’m not far away from that’, it gives you a boost to chase it.
“Now I’ve got my PGA Tour card, I’m closer to another dream of mine, which is winning the Masters. So it’s potentially going to be easier getting into the Masters from the PGA Tour, with the ranking points, and the facilities out here are absolutely incredible.
“When I was turning up to some events on the PGA here, the greens were so fast and I had never putted on anything like that.
“In Europe it’s normally a wee bit slower and windier. So stuff like that, when pitching up to big tournaments, I’m trying to narrow the gap from my practice to real-life golf. I feel like this move is kind of built on that.
“It’s obviously a big move and I don’t know when I’ll get home but I’m doing it for a reason and you’ve got to chase your dreams.
“That’s what I’m trying to do.”
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