Bob MacIntyre's gnome post after staying tight-lipped over Masters reprimand

But, as the dust was settling on his disappointing week in Georgia, the Oban man appeared to throw fuel on the fire with a social media post that was funny on the one hand but potentially inciteful on the other.

After giving himself a mountain to climb in the season’s opening major following an eight-over-par 80 on Thursday, the Oban man salvaged a bit of pride by signing for a 71 in Friday’s second circuit.

Another early exit, though, in the Green Jacket event wasn’t what the world No 8 had in mind after feeling great about his game on the back of finishing fourth then second in PGA Tour events coming into this week.

In the first round, a frustrated MacIntyre had been heard saying “Jesus f***” after hitting his tee shot at the 12th, slammed a club into the turf at the 14th then made a one-fingered gesture after hitting his second shot into the water at the 15th en route to a quadruple-bogey 9.

After all that, he was already fizzing as he signed for his score and MacIntyre’s mood then turned even darker when one of the officials attempted to have a word with him about a code of conduct for the tournament.

That probably explained why the 29-year-old declined a request to speak to a group of reporters. Instead, he marched away looking like a man who didn’t want to talk to anyone at all, including his mum and dad, Carol and Dougie, and one of his sisters Gill.

Though only coming close once to losing his temper in the second round - it followed him finding water at the short 16th - MacIntyre once again decided that he didn’t feel it would be the right thing to speak to the media.

A bit later, though, he took to social media, posting an AI generated image of a Masters -inspired gnome replicating his one-fingered gesture from the previous day.

That was probably a mistake on his part, especially after he’d been pulled up last year for posting a picture of his caddie, Mike Burrow, wearing the white Masters boilersuit with a caption about him looking like a painter and decorator.

Speaking to The Scotsman earlier in the week, the world No 8 had addressed fresh aimed at him for swearing on the golf course.

In last week’s Valero Texas Open in San Antonio, MacIntyre reacted to a poor shot by saying “that was f****** s****”, which was picked up by a microphone and led to the commentator, Andrew Coltart, apologising to viewers.

Speaking on Tuesday at Augusta National, he said: “I know I am volatile and I know the bad language and stuff, but that’s just me. Even having a little one myself (he became a dad in January) and knowing there are little ones around, I’m not going to change.

“I am trying to do my best out on the golf course. I’m a sportsman and it is live sport. I’m going to react the way I want to react. I’m not going to change how I react because there is someone standing there or elsewhere.

“I am trying to do the best that I can and I will take my time after to go and sign autographs with kids and what not, but, when I am playing golf I am red-lining.”