Where are the great nurseries of Scottish professional golf?
Well, if European Tour wins are the measurement, the sources of winners are Ilkley in Yorkshire, Largs, Market Drayton in Shropshire, Bathgate, Burnham and Berrow in Somerset and Bristol.
Those were the places where Colin Montgomerie, Sam Torrance, Sandy Lyle, Bernard Gallacher, Brian Barnes and Gordon Brand Jr, our top six European Tour winners, learned to play the game.
Even if you go backwards through our more recent winners, it’s the same – places you wouldn’t expect. Bathgate again (Stephen Gallacher), Hazlehead in Aberdeen (David Law), Inverness (Russell Knox), Cathkin Braes (Scott Jamieson) and Kemnay (Paul Lawrie).
The only recent winner to have come out of proper Scottish golfing hotbed is Richie Ramsay, who was (and remains) a Royal Aberdeen member.
St Andrews, Carnoustie, Troon (Monty didn’t really learn the game there), Muirfield? Nothing much of late. Our greatest female golfer, Catriona Matthew, comes from North Berwick…now that’s a lot more like it. But she’s the exception rather than the rule.
Robert MacIntyre, from the Glencruitten club in Oban, fits squarely into this strange tradition of outlying, unlikely places producing our successful professional golfers.
With two runners-up places in the last two European events, the left-hander in his rookie season appears on the cusp of a considerable breakthrough.
True, the fields aren’t yet of high-season quality yet. But that was pretty decent field at Hillside a fortnight ago. Tommy Fleetwood was a playing partner, Matt Wallace was in a threeball behind, and Robert (or Bob, but never Bobby) didn’t look remotely out of place there, pipped for a play-off only by Marcus Kinhult’s final hole birdie.
He’s just 22 and looks completely at home in the European Tour already. He has the game alright – he could be the best all-round player we’ve produced in 20 years – but he also seems to have the temperament.
I walked with MacIntyre for two rounds at Hillside during the British Masters and apart from being impressed with his ability and his following – a large family led by Mum Carol including his two young foster brothers, plus a sizeable crew from Glencruitten – what really impressed was his attitude.
He was relaxed, unfazed by the occasion and the considerable crowds, chatting and sharing jokes with playing partners during delays. This was when he was right in contention for the tournament.
Robert seems almost unflappable, underlined by the finish at Hillside when he needed an eagle and a birdie on the last two holes to have a chance to win – and went out and did exactly that.
That supporting crew and his family obviously do a great job in keeping him grounded, but you suspect he’s just like that anyway.
During his time in the amateurs, there was a little bit of a chip on MacIntyre’s shoulder, a feeling he wasn’t quite accepted because of where he came from. That ended apruptly with Walker Cup honours, which got him on Scottish Golf’s partnership scheme with Bounce Management.
Richie Ramsay made the point at Hillside that to get established on the European Tour – with the proviso that everyone is fairly good or they wouldn’t get there in the first place – what was essential was opportunities, and money.
“Stoddy has done a great job getting Bob and these boys both of these things and that;s been essential,” said Richie.
“Stoddy” is Iain Stoddart of Bounce, the avuncular manager of Stephen Gallacher and now with MacIntyre and fellow rookies Grant Forrest, Liam Johnston and Callum Hill under his wing.
Not every promising recent product has gone on the scheme – Connor Syme and Bradley Neil signed with different management, Ewen Ferguson was with it for a time before changing agent – but it’s a clear and positive link from amateur to pro that seems to be working.
But it’s still early days. And some would caution against pinning too much on Robert despite his quick successes.
The comment above that MacIntyre could be our best all-round player for 20 years will make some cringe, even if it’s mild compared to a colleague of mine who was so impressed with Robert that he wrote in terms of him being the next Andy Murray.
Don’t overburden them with expectation, was one complaint recently, and I get that to a point.
But surely if any golfer thinks something written about him in the newspapers might deflect him from his purpose, that says much more about the golfer than the writer.
MacIntyre, one is pleased to relate, seems unflappable about this stuff as well. He already stands out – being a left-hander, like many who grew up playing shinty and switched to golf – and he doesn’t take himself too seriously.
These are all attributes that should serve him well. There’s a way to go and many obstacles ahead, but so far, it’s looking good.