Left-handed golfers, and specifically left-handed golfers who have made it into the upper echelons of the global game, remain such a rarity, they should be housed in their own display cabinets under controlled conditions.
Apparently, only about 10 per cent of the world’s population is left-handed so becoming the flag-bearer for this select band of southpaws on the golfing front is something to savour.
At No 43 on the world rankings, Oban’s Robert MacIntyre is the highest placed of his ilk on the global order, ahead of decorated major-winning left-handers, Bubba Watson (52nd) and Phil Mickelson (96th).
“It’s cool,” said the young Scot of his regal position as a lofty lefty. “It’s another achievement as a young kid you would dream of happening. The chances of it happening are so slim. Phil is someone I have looked up to since I was a wee guy and to pass him and Bubba too in the rankings is pretty nice.”
MacIntyre, of course, has a bit to go to emulate the major-winning left-handed feats of Mickelson, Watson, Mike Weir and the great Bob Charles, but his own journey into the rarefied air of the world’s elite continues at an impressive lick.
This week, the 24-year-old competes in the WGC Workday Championship in Florida as he begins an American road trip of showpiece events which, all going to plan, will be topped off by a tee-time at April’s Masters.
The new experiences are coming thick and fast but MacIntyre continues to take them all in his stride. A decade ago, as a talented teenager in 2011, he made his first real impression on the under-18s scene with a victory on the Scottish Golf Union’s Junior Tour.
MacIntyre’s career has accelerated so quickly in recent years, he just about gives off a whiff of burning rubber when he walks to the tee. The more things change, though, the more they stay the same.
“You still get the first tee-nerves, and that feeling hasn’t changed, whether it was at a Junior Tour event, a Scottish Amateur Championship, a Challenge Tour or European Tour event and now a WGC,” he reflected. “When I was young, a junior event meant the world. That feeling or the level of intensity remains, it’s just that the standard has gone up. There will be a time in my life when I look back and say to myself ‘I have achieved quite a lot’. But there is still so much more to achieve.”
His achievements so far as an upwardly mobile touring professional have been rewarded with a place in the world’s top-50 and an American adventure that will be another valuable part of his global golfing education.
“I have felt comfortable on the European Tour for a good year and a bit now,” added MacIntyre, who is hoping to do a bit more “knocking on the door” of Padraig Harrington’s European Ryder Cup team with a series of strong showings over the next few weeks. “This will be another step up but it is about trying to feel you belong there. There are still one or two players who, if I was drawn with them, I would feel a little star-struck. But that is part of golf.
"I played with Rory (McIlroy) and Rickie (Fowler) at the Scottish Open in 2019 and that set me up for The Open. I then played with Justin Thomas at The Open and it changed my whole perspective of these top guys. I thought they were something different but they’re not. They are just regular guys who work hard on their game and are at the top of their game.”
MacIntyre’s own hard graft continues to reap the rewards. In this very individual game, there is no formula for success, no magic potion and no one- size-fits-all model. “There is not a book that tells you how to become a professional golfer and how to get to the next level or everybody would be reading it,” said MacIntyre. “I’m left-handed, my diet is not great, I’m definitely not your ideal golfer in terms of doing a lot of gym work or eating the right food and doing the right mental stuff.
“Do it your own way. For me, it’s about being comfortable in my own skin and with the people around me.
“As long as I can have the right support and the drive of everyone around me then anything is possible.”
This particular lefty continues to get it right.
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