Top Scot Robert MacIntyre heads into his final DP World Tour (DPWT) event of the season singing the praise of his ‘career changing’ year.
The lofty World No. 16 tees-up in the DP World Tour Championship joining American Billy Horschell as the only player this week to have won twice on this year’s PGA Tour and along with Rory McIlroy and Horschel, MacIntyre’s won both on the PGA and DPWR Tours in 2024.
MacIntyre headed into his rookie PGA Tour season struggling with his game and also missing family and friends as reflected in sitting out the weekend rounds in half of his opening 12 events and with a best finish of T6th at the Mexico Open.
The Oban lefty turned it all around starting with his eighth place result in May’s PGA Championship and then three weeks later becoming the first Scot in two years shy of a 100-years to capture the RBC Canadian Open.
TOP SINGS PRAISE OF HIS ’24 SEASON ….
And @robert1lefty @ArnoldClark @GlencruittenG @ScottishGolf has every right to be ☺️ after a brilliant #DPWT season & equally double-winning @PGATOUR rookie year
Read: https://t.co/inFpvKTWC4
✅@TOURMISS @Record_Sport (Bernie) pic.twitter.com/k0GkSsebrC
— Golf & Science News (@TOURMISS) November 12, 2024
Five events later MacIntrye endeared himself to fans the world over with his home soil victory celebration in capturing the Genesis Scottish Open and thus earning a double two-year exemption on both Tours till the end of 2026 and along with entry into all the majors, including a 205 Masters invitation and what will be a first Augusta visit since 2022.
MacIntyre also banked a whopping $US 5.4m (£4.21m) in official 2024 PGA Tour earnings from his 25 events and now must be a certanity for 2024 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year.
He said: “It’s been career changing, a hundred percent. I’ve now got to the top level of professional golf, the Top-25 percent of professional golfers.
“From this time last year, there’s been some lows but probably some better lies than obviously lower lows. It’s been a hell of a year. I probably couldn’t have scripted what’s happened to be honest, from obviously the Ryder Cup, and the Ryder Cup till now has been an absolute roller coaster.
“I’ve dreamed of having a season like this but is the reality going to happen, you never really think it will happen. But it’s been probably the fairy tale situations in pretty much a year. It’s been a hell of a time.
“It means I can pick my schedule and I am into all the major events and you’re in all the top events you can play in and you can pick-and-choose, and that’s where you want to be.
“Last year I obviously played a lot and that’s because you have to play the events you get in. I said it from when these cards came about, what an opportunity it is to get as high up in the world of golf as you can. I think the majority of golfers out here have that dream, as well”.
MacIntyre heads into this week’s $10m event lying ninth on the Race to Dubai and with money-list front-runner Rory MacIntyre needing to finish 11th or better to equal the late, great Seve Ballesteros effort with six Harry Vardon trophies.
Thriston Lawrence, who is Number two on the DPWT points table, is the only player in the elite 50-players field who can deny McIlroy but the South African needs to win.
