Bob MacIntyre has say on Ryder Cup role and Luke Donald's big decision for 2027

On his debut against the Americans at Marco Simone Golf Club in Rome in 2023, the Oban man found himself in the anchor match against Wyndham Clark, the US Open champion at the time, in the concluding session.

Under Luke Donald’s captaincy again, MacIntyre was placed in the penultimate head-to-head match for this year’s contest at Bethpage Black before finding himself in the last game once more after Viktor Hovland was forced to sit out the session due to a neck injury.

On both occasions, it looked as though it could all come down to MacIntyre’s match - he beat Clark then finished all square against Sam Burns - before Tommy Fleetwood in Rome then Shane Lowry in New York carried Europe over the line.

MacIntyre, who sits seventh in the Official World Golf Ranking, is determined to make it three appearances in a row when the centenary edition takes place at Adare Manor in Ireland in 2027, smiling when asked if he’d like to be in the same position again on the last day and be the match-winner on this occasion.

“It would be unbelievable from a selfish point of view - the man who gets the winning point or half point,” he admitted, speaking exclusively to The Scotsman. “But I honestly couldn’t care. Because it is a team game and the job is to win the Ryder Cup. Whether it is half a point, one point, ten points, the goal for the week is winning the Ryder Cup and that’s drummed into us.

‘It would be cool to get that winning point’

“I mean, the Sunday at Bethpage Black (where the Americans threatened to pull off an incredible last-day fightback) wasn’t pretty, but it didn’t matter who, it didn’t matter how. It was just about winning that Ryder Cup on the Sunday. Look, it would be cool to get that winning point or the winning half point. But, honestly, I couldn’t care who gets it.”

Donald emulated fellow Englishman Tony Jacklin by winning as a captain home and away. It now remains to be seen if the former world No 1 will be tempted to try and make it an unprecedented hat-trick of victories by staying on for the 2027 match.

“Phew,” replied MacIntyre to being asked if he believed that would happen. “I’ve been trying to ask a few people myself to see if they would give a little bit of anything. But, honestly, I don’t know. He’s never been on a losing side in the Ryder Cup. I think it’s four (as a player) and two (as a captain). I know what I’d be doing (laughing). I’d be sailing off into the sunset.

“But there is an opportunity to become the first captain to win three in a row and I am sure that will be in the back of his mind and it will be interesting to see what he does. I am sure it will be soon when we find out.”

MacIntyre is gearing up to make his final appearance in 2025 in next week’s Hero World Challenge, the PGA Tour event hosted by Tiger Woods at Albany Resort in the Bahamas. The line up is being headed by world No 1 and defending champion Scottie Scheffler.