After admitting he’s failed his last five mental tests, top-ranked Scot Robert MacIntyre heads into this week’s Hero Indian Open with five weeks remaining if he’s to head to the biggest test of Augusta National.
MacIntyre, 26, is currently ranked a lowly No. 91st on the World Rankings and needing to be inside the leading 50 at the close of play anywhere in the world as on Sunday March 26th.
At that date, anyone inside the top-50 on the rankings and not yet exempt, will be afforded an invitation to contest this year’s 87th hosting of the Masters.
Top Scot Robert MacIntyre in happier times and admitting ahead of Hero Indian Open that he’s failed five mental tests in his five events of 2023
MacIntyre made his Masters debut in 2021 and a share of 12th was good enough for an automatic invitation to tee-up on the Georgia golfing gem a year ago though the Scot’s T23rd result last year, and hurt by a third round 76, saw him fall short by an agonising one stroke in making it a second straight automatic Augusta return.
It means he’s now got to rely on getting himself back inside the world’s leading 50 ranked players if he’s to join Augusta champ Sandy Lyle in doubling the number of Scots competing in this year’s Masters.
The last time MacIntyre was ranked inside the top-50 on the rankings was 8th August, 2021 and a week prior to electing to remain in the States to contest two secondary KornFerry Tour events, a decision criticised by many observers the Scot who argued he should have been in Europe seeking to secure Ryder Cup automatic selection.
Sadly, MacIntyre made three missed cuts in succession, including the final DP World Tour qualifying event at Tour HQ, to forfeit any chance of heading to Whistling Straits.
At this early stage of the new season, the reigning Italian Open champ is exempt only into May’s PGA Championship while he also earned a tee-time, thanks to his top-30 finish last year on the Race to Dubai money list, into July’s 151st Open at Hoylake.
And if his ace at the 16th hole earlier this week in a first look at the Hero Indian Open host course is any indication, MacIntyre could be on the right path to a hopeful Augusta return.
16th today…265 yards 4 iron☝🏻#HIO2023 pic.twitter.com/cFXDp9w4Dj
— Robert MacIntyre (@robert1lefty) February 21, 2023
He said: “It’s a difficult hole, 16, I’m just trying to hit it on the green. It’s playing 243 yards so I just wanted to get it around the green. I hit a good one and I thought ‘that might have a chance’ and I got down there and it’s in the hole.
“I don’t mean to sound disrespectful to anybody but there are golf courses that suit me and it’s the difficult ones where you’re not needing to shoot 20-under par to win golf tournaments.
“When it’s more demanding off the tee and more demanding into greens, that’s when I play my best golf.
“I’ve shown that throughout my years on Tour but saying that, this golf course tee-to-green is a monster”.
Though MacIntyre tees-up this week with a best of 20th in his five new season events, and also including being on the losing Hero Cup side and missing a cut a fortnight ago in Singapore.
He said: “I’m happy with the way I’m playing with things tee to green, it’s just going to be a mental test. My last five mental tests, I’ve failed, so hopefully I’m going to pass it.”
MacIntyre joins five Scots this week including defending champ Stevie Gallacher, who won the event 1, 425 days ago when last staged in 2019.
