Abu Dhabi, UAE …. Robert MacIntyre has entered this week’s Omega Dubai Desert Classic but there’s still an injury cloud hanging over Scotland’s top-ranked.
On-going pain in the bottom left portion on the palm of his right hand now has plagued the 23-year old for close to three months.
MacIntyre, who underwent a first MRI on the hand in October, was advised following last November’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai not to touch a club for six weeks and the young Scot did just that.
No sooner did he begin hitting practice range balls last week in Dubai and the injury again flared so much so, MacIntyre was forced to withdraw from today’s (SUN) concluding Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
MacIntyre travelled the short drive north to Dubai last Tuesday to undergo a second MRI of his hand but there is no report available on the diagnostics.
So good to see with @BWiesberger among the first to 👍👏@robert1leftt @bouncespmgt @dpwtc @JGEGolf #RolexSeries 🥇
It’s all that is good about the game of GOLF ☺️
Well done to @BWiesberger on his super @EuropeanTour season 🥂 pic.twitter.com/Br7xtr2LS5
— Golf & Science🍋⛳️ (@TOURMISS) November 24, 2019
If his hand does require an operation then MacIntrye will be side-lined for some months, and if so, that means forgetting about qualifying for a first Masters and missing the early WGC events.
If he does return to competition in Dubai it will only boost hopes of the Oban golfer joining Sandy Lyle in this year’s Masters field.
MacIntyre is currently ranked No. 65 in the world and needs to be inside the top-50 by March 30th to be taking a first drive down famed Magnolia Lane.
If MacIntyre should tee-up Thursday in Dubai there’s one European Tour colleague eager to catch-up at that’s Austrian-born Bernd Wiesberger.
Two months ago, Wiesberger was one of the very first to congratulate the Scot in capturing the 2019 ‘Rookie of the Year’ title, and this after Wiesberger’s bitter disappointment in letting slip being crowned European Tour No. 1.
Wiesberger led the Race to Dubai for the last handful of 2019 tournaments only to lose out to Spaniard Jon Rahm and with Tommy Fleetwood grabbing second to bump Wiesberger back to third overall.
Now in Wiesberger’s first event of the New Year he’s back in contention after posting an Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship third day 65 to share second place on 13-under par and one adrift of Lee Westwood, and with the 46-year old eyeing a 44th pro career win and a 25th Tour title.
“Maybe just two Corona’s,” said Wiesberger when asked how long it took to get over his Race to Dubai disappointment.
“As I have said before as an athlete you try and win and try and perform at the highest level, and get that trophy under your better.
“It was disappointing not to win the No.1 title but looking back on the whole season and where I started, I was very proud of what I achieved in finishing third, so any pain was very short-lived.”
And there is much in common between Wiesberger and MacIntrye than their budding friendship as a left wrist injury, sustained in a corporate outing in May 2018 ended-up side-lining the affable Austrian to the first week of December that year.
Wiesberger said: “I first played with Bob last year on the Saturday at the Made in Denmark and right then and there I said to my caddy that I like this guy we’re playing alongside.
“He’s a bit unconventional but he has a great understanding how to play the game, and sometimes you don’t see that any longer in the younger players.
“On top of that Bob’s a lovely lad and when he finished his round in Dubai last November, I just wanted to be there to congratulate him on a such a good year.”
And if MacIntyre should be staring at an operation, and Scotland golf trusts he will not have to go under the knife, then there’s Wiesberger’s first-hand advice.
He said: “Fortunately, I did not have progressive injury issue as my own injury was immediate and it meant being side-lined immediately. I was very fortunate to have good medical advice so that I could go about the right way getting it healed.
“Robert is going to play a lot of golf in his career so if he should miss one or two tournaments, it’s not going to make a difference in his long-term career and the success he should have.”
Richie Ramsay birdied his closing two holes in a second straight 69 to be the top Scot with a round to play and just outside the top-20 on seven under.
He said: “It was also nice to finish birdie-birdie. I actually hit a wedge into the 17th, something I’ve never done before here, but it was playing downwind today, then birdied the last with a nice up and down from 86 yards.#
“Three-under was good after being two-over early on. It was a good fightback and I am very pleased with the way I did that. Now I’ve got a lot to play for tomorrow.”
