Ryder Cup winning hero Robert MacIntyre will accompany fellow Scottish golfing stars Grant Forrest, Connor Syme and Callum Hill heading ‘Down Under’ later this month for the DP World Tour co-sanctioned Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland from November 23-26 and the Australian Open the following week at two courses in Sydney.
MacIntyre, 27, was a member of the recent winning European Ryder Cup team that brought down their illustrious USA golfing rivals in Rome, and with the Scot defeating reigning US Open champ Wyndham Clark in the last match of the three-day competition.
The Oban-born MacIntyre is currently ranked 56th in the world and is hoping strong performances in the two “Australian majors” will help him regain a top-50 spot that would see him qualify at year’s end for next April’s Masters, and after having missed out earlier this year.
Top-ranked Scot Robert MacIntyre heading ‘Down Under’ to contest the back-to-back Australian PGA Championship and Australian Open titles
“Hopefully if I can notch up a win in the next two events, then it would give me a bit of a bit of a cushion,” said MacIntyre.
“It’s just about picking up as many points in the world rankings, getting to Augusta.”
The champion lefty is a two-time winner on the DP World Tour and went so close to making it three wins in July, only to lose out by a shot to Rory McIlroy at this year’s Genesis Scottish Open and naturally, MacIntyre will be looking to go one better in heading to Australia for his maiden appearance in both events.
“That’s where the most prestige comes in golf, from a lot of national opens,” he said.
“We’ve got Scottish Opens, French Opens, Spanish opens, obviously the Australian Open and I think they’re massive for our sport and for me, if I can get my hands on certain national titles, I think it’s even more special.
“Within Europe, you see guys like Seve (Ballesteros), like (Jose Maria) Olazabal, so many guys who have won national titles at such a high level.
“It’s just dreamy. You dream of it as kids to get in positions to win these tournaments.”
MacIntyre is no stranger to competing in Australia having contested the 2019 Australian PGA Championship at Royal Pines also in Queensland.
“I’ve always loved Australia and have family there, so I’m really looking forward to the fortnight playing in Brisbane and Sydney,” he said.
“The Australian PGA and Australian Open are two tournaments with great history and I’d love to be up there in both.
“There’s been some great examples in the past of players winning in Australia and then going on to big things in the following year.”
MacIntyre will be joined by fellow Scots Grant Forrest, Connor Syme and Calum Hill at the two events as well as Australian stars Cam Smith, Cam Davis, Adam Scott, Min Woo Lee, Lucas Herbert and Marc Leishman, Poland’s Adrian Meronk and PGA Tour players Patrick Rodgers and Nick Hardy.
