Robert MacIntyre insists he will be staying true to himself as he faces a new normal both on and off the course in 2026.
The affable Scot – known to all as Bob – and partner Shannon welcomed son Findlay in January, just days after MacIntyre became just the third Scot to reach the top five on the Official World Golf Ranking.
That rise inside the ropes has come in a near three-year spell that has seen him become a four-time DP World Tour winner, two-time PGA TOUR and two-time Ryder Cup winner.
But MacIntyre does not operate like most transatlantic players and after initially struggling to settle in the United States as a dual member, he is now based back in his native Scotland.
And while he admits that brings with it its own challenges, it also has benefits, and he is ready to adjust his short-term expectations accordingly.
“I think that's just part of life, like my life has changed recently for the better,” he said. “But it's just about trying to re-find myself on a golf course.
“My family couldn't come over to Augusta. It was a last minute thing and I wanted them to be there, but I accepted they couldn't be there. And then last week I asked my dad to stay on for company, and he stayed on.
“My goal this year to be honest with you is to make East Lake. It's not to finish top ten in the (FedEx Cup). My life's changed so can I still make progress, but just accept that this year might not be the best year for me on the golf course.
“It's about trying to navigate life a little bit differently and I think, so far, we've been doing a good job. I think the last couple of weeks has been a massive learning curve for me.”
He added: “The schedule is so tightly packed now that you just feel as though you can't take a week off and that's carnage as well, the schedule. So it's about trying to manage myself.
“Obviously living here it’s difficult with the travel and stuff. But it's what I want to do, it's what I've picked to do. I just need to get myself enough time to recover and calm down and get ready to go again.”
While MacIntyre may have fallen from the top five in the world, he has still been enjoying considerable success, finishing fourth at THE PLAYERS Championship and second at the Valero Texas Open.
Then came a missed cut at the Masters that - in terms of MacIntyre at least – will be remembered for his reaction to a quadruple-bogey on the 15th in round one.
“I'm not proud of what I did,” he said. “But I wear my heart on my sleeve.
"I play golf at the highest level. I try and compete as hard as I can.
“Am I disappointed in what I've done? Yes. Could it happen again? More than likely. I mean, I try and control my emotions as much as I can, but sometimes it boils over.”
One person whose emotions rarely boil over is Scottie Scheffler, who has broken out of a relative recent slump with back-to-back runner-up finishes.
The American’s consistency of temperament matches that of his ball-striking and while MacIntyre admits that is something he would like to have, he knows he may not be where he is today if that was the case.
“I watch Scottie Scheffler and I’m like, ‘I want to play golf like Scottie Scheffler’,” he said. “Everyone in the world wants to play golf like Scottie Scheffler.
“I think, he’s got his beliefs, religion’s a massive part of his life.
“I was watching the golf there on Sunday, and it was me, my dad, Tommy Fleetwood’s caddie Finno, my caddie Mike. We’re sitting in the house before flying home and discussing when he's standing on the 17th tee - that guy's got no other thought than that golf shot that he’s about to hit on 17. And it’s like, how do you get that? I mean, if I'm standing on the 17th tee in the position he's in, I'm thinking I’m trying to win a golf tournament.
“I feel like watching him, he's just going to hit a golf shot. And I don't know, how those beliefs, and everything that he does, and everything he says, comes across as... he doesn't worry about winning golf tournaments. That’s what we all try to do. We shouldn't try to win golf tournaments, we should just let it happen. But it looks to me that he literally does that. I'd love to get in that position, but I think once you've won so many times, it’s a lot easier.
“For me, I watch a lot of golfers and actually enjoy watching someone who's got fire in their belly that shows a bit of emotion. Yeah, mine boils over the top and I watch Tyrrell (Hatton), his boils over the top, Sergio (Garcia), Jon Rahm. There's lots of us that boil, boil and boil and then at a certain point just erupt.
“I feel like the world of golf is trying to almost get everyone to be that robotic way and accept things. But if everyone was like that, the world would be boring.
“And I accept that when I do boil over, yes, apologies need to be made and have to say certain things, but it's the way I am, it’s the way I’m always gonna be. Yes I'd love to be a little bit more mellow, should I say. I'd love to be a bit more like Scottie in the way of not reacting, but it might affect the way I play golf.”
From MacIntyre’s perspective, the key is not controlling his emotions but reacting to them in the correct way.
“Most of the time, I'm very good at going ballistic and then accepting and go on to the next,” he said.
“I remember this year at Bay Hill, I made the double-bogey on 15 on one of the rounds. I think it was Friday. And I was going absolutely ballistic. The TV cameras weren't seeing it. It was me walking from 15th green to 16th tee. I mean, I'm going ballistic. I'm just in my head, speaking to Mike. I mean, it's probably the most angry I've been on a golf course. Way angrier than I was in Augusta.
“I mean that was at Bay Hill I was going ballistic and I then played the last three holes in one under par, probably one of the toughest stretches in world golf. So, when I'm in my right mind frame, I can go ballistic and then let it go and it doesn't affect me. But I just think the more I hold it in the more it boils. If I can get it out, respectfully and what not, then it's better for me.”
Since helping Europe win the Ryder Cup in Rome, MacIntyre has truly established himself as one of the game’s best, winning three times worldwide, climbing the world rankings and helping Europe successfully defend on US soil.
“I’m a completely different player,” he said. “I still play golf the same style, but I’m far more consistent, far more aware of what's going on, what's needing improved.”
Keeping the good, discarding the bad and remembering who you are and what got you there in the first place seems to be MacIntyre’s mantra.
Bob is gonna Bob – it's going pretty well so far.
