'Bob MacIntyre is hell of a player' - PGA Tour winner's verdict on Scots star and picks out key improvement

Laird spoke about the Scottish No 1 as he linked up with Mikey Thomson, who was on MacIntyre’s bag when he landed his maiden DP World Tour win in the Cyprus Showdown in 2020, for this week’s Nexo Championship at Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire.

“Yeah, I was talking about Bob with Mikey as he saw him when he first came out on tour,” said Laird, who is playing in his first DP World Tour event since 2018, during a chat with The Scotsman. “He was one of those guys you could always see had talent and he also had the right mindset.

“He admitted when I first started playing with him that the biggest thing he noticed was that his wedge game wasn’t quite good enough, but he had all the rest in terms of his game. His wedge game has obviously got way better as he’s a hell of a player. He hits it miles now, too. So, he hits it further now and is wedging it better - that’s a pretty good combination (laughing).”

MacIntyre played on the PGA Tour for the first time in 2021 before securing a full card last season, when he won both the RBC Canadian Open and Genesis Scottish Open. On the back of two top-ten finishes in the last two majors, the 29-year-old is on course to make the season-ending Tour Championship for the second year running.

“I’d heard of him but never knew him,” added four-time PGA Tour winner Laird, who has been over in the US now for 25 years. “Then, when he first came over and we played a practice round together - it might even have been at The Masters or The PGA - and we were like ‘oh, yeah’. You can tell when someone hits a golf shot and it makes a nice noise.

“He’s got a great attitude as well and I am not surprised at all to see him doing so well. I texted him after the US Open (MacIntyre finished runner-up at Oakmont in June). He’s someone who looks as though he is going to keep knocking on the door and, if he does, one of them is going to land his way.”

MacIntyre freely admitted that he had it found it difficult to adapt to life in the US during his rookie season but, helped by the fact he no longer has a full-time basis in Orlando, he has gradually become more comfortable.

“I think when he first came over, he thought ‘I’ll move to America and live there while I am playing’,” said Laird. “But then he realised that wasn’t for him. He’s now got it sorted out and I am not surprised to see him playing this well, especially the big tournaments as his all-round game is just excellent.

“There’s not really a weakness in his game and is powerful now. He’s still young and learning. He’s only going to get better. It’s great for Scottish golf to have someone not just playing well on this tour or the PGA Tour but the majors as well.”

In fairness, Laird himself did that for a spell. “It seems like a while ago,” he said, smiling, “but I am proud of what I have managed over the years, too. Yeah, I was kind of flying the flag over in the States for a while and it is nice to see someone else come over and keep the Scottish flag on those leaderboards.”