Tommy Fleetwood has seen a fair bit of Oban rookie Robert MacIntyre this season. When he got his first glimpse of the Scottish left-hander in the Abu Dhabi Championship back in February, Fleetwood was highly complimentary.
“He’s probably better than I was at 22, he does more good things than I did at that age,” said the former European No 1 after partnering MacIntyre in the final round in the Middle East.
A few months down the line and MacIntyre continues to justify those particular plaudits. The 22-year-old was grouped with Fleetwood again in the closing round of the British Masters at Hillside on Sunday and revelled in the cut-and-thrust as he finished with an eagle-birdie flourish to grab a share of second place in just his 14th start on the European Tour.
“He played great didn’t he?” said Fleetwood in a simple summing up of MacIntyre’s majesty which saw him recover from a potentially ruinous double-bogey on the second hole to record his best finish at the top table and establish a sturdy foothold on the Race to Dubai standings.
“He knows his game really, really well. On the 18th, for example, he knew exactly what to do when he was there and he knew how to play it. That will stand him in really good stead.”
Getting on to the European Tour is hard enough. Staying there is even harder. MacIntyre’s promotion from the Challenge Tour last season in his first full year as a pro was mightily impressive and he has found his feet quickly in a step up that can often be as daunting as scaling Everest in a pair of baffies.
“This result takes a lot of pressure off,” said his compatriot Richie Ramsay, the three-time European Tour winner who notched his best result for over a year with a fifth place finish at Hillside.
“He could’ve finished par, par but eagle, birdie changes everything. It makes a massive difference.”
MacIntyre was among a posse of four Scots who moved up from the Challenge Tour last season. They pushed each other on then and there is a sense that the new influx of fresh Scottish blood on the European Tour is helping spur things on across the tartan spectrum this season.
David Law, another Challenge Tour graduate, won in Australia in February while old hand Stephen Gallacher got himself back to winning ways in the Indian Open at the end of March. After a spell in the doldrums, there are plenty of green shoots sprouting up as the season hurtles along.
“I’ve always wanted the Scottish guys to do well,” added Ramsay. “They are there to perform and it’s another person to beat. If you don’t do well then you want the other saltires up there.”
The team mentality has been aided and fostered by Iain Stoddart, the effervescent Scotsman who founded the Bounce management company and has taken a number of young players under his wing in a concerted push to aid the amateur-to-pro transition.
MacIntyre, along with fellow tour rookies Grant Forrest and Liam Johnston, are all represented by Stoddart
“We have a good group now and Iain has done a great job to get them playing opportunities and help them to get money,” said Ramsay. “If you don’t have chances and some financial backing then it’s very, very tough to get a foothold
“I got help through someone I met through caddying, not through anyone else. But help got me the foothold and it makes a difference.
“Bob finishes like that on Sunday and now he is in a great position on the Race to Dubai.
“The other boys have had a few solid weeks too. They are all vying to be up there and that’s good. It pushes everyone on.”
Hopefully it’s a case of onwards and upwards for the European Tour’s tartan army as 2019 unfolds.
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