Bob MacIntyre reveals what Rory McIlroy had to say in locker-room chat

Bob MacIntyre was worried about making contact with his golf ball the first time he played with Rory McIlroy but now the young Scot enjoys chewing the fat with him in locker-rooms around the world.

The Oban man was in his rookie season on the DP World Tour when he was paired with McIlroy and Rickie Fowler in one of the marquee groups in the 2019 Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club.

“It was unbelievable,” recalled MacIntyre, speaking at the East Lothian venue in the countdown to this year’s exciting edition, which has luxury Korean car company Genesis as a new title sponsor and is counting for both the Race to Dubai and FedEx Cup for the first time.

“I remember teeing it up and thinking ‘just make contact with this thing’. I was so nervous because I had never met these guys, never mind played with them. But, once I got playing with them, I realised they were just two normal guys.”

Nearly three years on, having used that experience to feel comfortable in other big events, notably the majors, MacIntyre now feels very much at home in such illustrious company.

“To this day, I walk into a locker-room and mine and Rory’s lockers are often near each other because of our surnames,” he added. “I chat to him most weeks when he and I are playing. It’s just incredible for me to think this is the level of golf I’m playing at.”

The 25-year-old smiled when he was asked if four-time major winner McIlroy had passed on any tips during those chats. “One of the best ones was when we were in the locker- room at Riviera for the Genesis (the PGA Tour event in Los Angeles hosted by Tiger Woods) with Peter Malnati,” he said.

“We were talking about schedules and whatnot and he [Malnati] asked how often we had to change an event. Rory said, ‘I