"WHO WANTS TO BE SECOND BEST AT ANYTHING?"

His stock may have risen significantly over the past couple of years, but Bob Macintyre tells David Facey he has his sights set firmly on the very pinnacle of the game

-  Bob Macintyre

Robert Macintyre was hailed as the natural successor to Sandy Lyle and Colin Montgomerie, and the next great Scottish golfer, from the day he decided to concentrate on playing with 14 'sticks' rather than just a shinty one.

The left-hander from Oban won Scottish trophies in the boys and youths categories, and then won the Scottish Amateur title and finished runner-up in the Amateur Championship before turning pro at the end of 2017. Comparisons with those previous greats started to gather momentum when MacIntyre last year became the first home golfer to win the Scottish Open since Monty had done so 25 years earlier.

As that event also forms part of the PGA Tour schedule - and came hard on the heels of Macintyre's breakthrough victory at the Canadian Open - he joined Lyle as only the second Scotsman to win twice in the same year on the American circuit. It is heady stuff.

And there was also the small matter of an unbeaten Ryder Cup debut, where he distinguished himself as part of the European team who put the Yanks to the sword in Rome two years ago.

This modern-day Braveheart does not always come across as a barrel of laughs, but his Ryder Cup teammates will tell you the dour reputation is nonsense and that he is great fun to be around. Sure enough, MacIntyre, 28, came across as funny, engaging and brimming with self-confidence when Golf Monthly sat down with him to discuss his emergence as a national hero...

For many players, what you achieved in 2024 would represent a career-defining year. How do you top that in 2025?