Robert MacIntyre will no doubt get his first look at Augusta National later this coming week with confirmation the young Scot will play his first Masters.
Augusta National advised MacIntrye will become the 27th Scottish-born golfer to compete in the Masters since 1934 and in what this year will be the 85th hosting of the Masters starting on 8th April at the revered Georgia golfing gem.
The Masters allocated Monday March 29th as the second-last qualifying date for those inside the top-50 on the World Rankings, and not already exempt, who will be afforded a Masters invitation.
The winner of this week’s Valero Texas Open in San Antonio, and as Scot Martin Laird achieved in 2013, will secure the last invitation.
And now officials at the World Golf Rankings indicated that not only will MacIntyre, who entered this week’s WGC – Dell Match-Play Championship as the No. 44th ranked in the world, qualify for Augusta but he will move-up possible three places to World No. 41 despite losing 5 & 4 by the now Edinburgh-based Victor Perez in Saturday mornings last-16 Texas showdown in Austin.
MacIntyre was never in front in the match with Perez, and with the reigning Dunhill Links champion moving to 6-up through 12 holes before a MacIntyre birdie at 13 only halted the inevitable and Perez wrapping-up the match with a par on 14.
Perez said: “I just felt like I made a few putts early that got me up in the match, and then I knew Bobby is a very dangerous player, he can make a lot of birdies.
“I couldn’t stop laughing as it was a good attitude, good vibe, and the shots keep coming and he can make a lot of birdies.
“I knew that even at 3-up, 4-up that there were a lot of holes, opportunities on the backside where he could have made birdies, and I needed to keep pressing on. So made a few putts, which made it a lot easier.”
While Perez advances, MacIntyre has the week off and that will surely entail a visit to Augusta National.
MacIntyre’s Masters invitation had been helped as the immediate five players on the world rankings behind him, and those ranked 45th to 50th, failed to advance to the last-16 in Austin.
And Australia’s Matt Jones, who moved to No. 49 in capturing last week’s Honda Classic, did not tee-up in Austin given his victory was outside of the cut-off date for match-play qualification.
An OWGR official said: “It would have been an extraordinary set of results this week for Robert to be relegated below 50th in the world.
“It would have needed six players to go pass him and we now know that’s not happened. At the start of the week mathematically it was possible but not now, so he’s safe for Augusta.”
In fact, MacIntyre was assured of attaining his Masters invitation in halving his second-round robin match against World No. 1 Dustin Johnson that would have kept him at 44th in the world.
One of those looking forward to welcoming MacIntyre to Augusta National is Laird and with the Denver-based Scot qualifying for his fourth Masters in capturing last October’s Shriners Hospital Open in Las Vegas.
Laird said: “I played a practice round with Robert ahead of the Players Championship and I was really impressed. For someone still so young, he’s very level-headed and also very mature.
“If it works out, it will be good to play a practice round with him at Augusta as he’s good to play with given we had such a great day there at Sawgrass.
“The great news also and that’s now three Scotland players at this Masters and that’s got to be good for Scottish golf.”
And returning to the Masters for a first time in three years is fellow lefty American Brian Harman, who at 59th in the world, went through to the final eight in defeating double Masters winner Bubba Watson 2 & 1 in all left-handed last 16 match.
