It’s `attack golf’ for Robert MacIntyre this week at Wentworth, but no `Hollywood shots’.
The Scot just needs a second place for an automatic Ryder cup slot if other things fall in his favour at the BMW PGA Championship, but he’s fired up and ready.
‘Don’t chase what’s not there’
“We step on the first tee, it’s attack golf,” he said. “That’s the way I play.
“The end result will be what it will be. I am looking at it more this week than normal because normally I would just turn up and play. There’s more go about me this week.
“You have to play good. But the course allows you to play smart and I struggled to do that in the past weeks because I wasn’t switched on. I had a chat with (caddie) Mike (Thomson) and it was agreed that was something we needed to work on.
“If you are out of position, just get back into position. Don’t try Hollywood shots. Don’t chase what is not there.”
‘Robert has been great all year’
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European captain Padraig Harrington is certainly aware of MacIntyre and didn’t rule out a potential wildcard should he fall short of an automatic spot.
“Robert has been great all year,” said the Irishman. “He has really been up there.
“He’s a tenacious player and that is the kind of player you would like in a Ryder Cup. There is a lot going for Robert for sure, if he gets in the team or he gets a pick.”
For his part, Bob would be happy to give Harrington a tough decision on Sunday night.
“There’s a lot can happen which could potentially change his picks,” reasoned the Scot. “If I am sitting in the top five coming down the stretch on Sunday, then I’ve done something right and he’s going to have a problem on his hands.
“That’s where I want to be. In a position where a god back nine will get me into position to win.”
‘The style of golf I play suits this place’
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And Wentworth should be a place where he thrives, he feels.
“The course is perfect,” he said. Thick rough, firm greens, running fairways. It’s the way a real test of golf should be.
“The style of golf I play suits this place. If I can drive the way I normally do, I have no worries about what is going on.”
MacIntyre took a week off, played golf and shinty with his friends back home, and is now refreshed.
“Mentally I was done, but a week off was perfect,” he said. “I had a couple of games of golf with my pals. If it’s good weather and you get a chance to go and play Loch Lomond, you have to take the chance.
“But it’s not really playing golf when you are out with your pals. It’s enjoying it and having a laugh and that’s what it was.”
BMW PGA Championship: Robert MacIntyre is miles ahead of his goals even before Wentworth