Bob MacIntyre picks out his 'best bits' from his fairytale year

The Oban man is sitting 14th in the world rankings, having started 2024 just inside the top 60, and will be teeing it up next year in all four majors, as well as the PGA Tour’s big-money signature events.

His sights are set on retaining a spot in the European team for next year’s Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black and opens his 2025 calendar campaign with two events back in Hawaii before heading to the Middle East for the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.

Before bringing down the curtain on this year, though, the 28-year-old picked out his ‘Best Bits’ from 2024 in a quickfire Q&A, as well as revealing the event he missed the most and what club he is hoping behaves better next year.

Best moment

The Genesis Scottish Open, 18th hole in the final round and that putt to win it (with a huge smile on his face). Boy, when that dropped was it something special!

Best new event

I’d probably say the RBC Canadian Open and not just because I won it. The support I received from start to finish because I was left-handed and that’s how a lot of people there play ice hockey was just incredible.

Best round

Oh, that’s a good one. There were different moments in various rounds, but see the last 14 holes on the Friday in The Open (after a nightmare start, he’d dropped to nine over and three shots outside the cut before covering the remaining stretch in four under to make it through to the weekend by a shot), that is as good as I can play. I’d lost my head but, once Mike [Burrow, his caddie] managed to get some commonsense back into my head, I realised that although I was nine over par, I actually hadn’t hit really bad shots. It was just a case of everything that could have gone wrong had.

Best course

I liked Hamilton Country Club, venue for the RBC Canadian Open, but, as a pure fun factor, I also liked TPC River Highland, venue for the Travelers Championship, in Connecticut.

Best shot

I’d have to pick out two and both were five to six-foot putts. One was on the 17th hole in Canada and the other was on the 17th hole in the Genesis Scottish Open. In Canada, I’d knocked a 50-footer to around five or six feet and even my dad said he couldn’t watch me hit it. But I’d putted unbelievable all week and, having holed that one, I went back to it when I was then in the same position at The Renaissance Club. Both of them were massive as far as the eventual result was concerned.

Worst week to miss

The Masters for definite. That’s been the case the last couple of years because I’ve had a couple of decent finishes there and can’t wait to be back at Augusta National.

Mulligan

There’s not one that has stood out that I’ve felt ‘that has cost me’. Yes, I put one in the water with my second shot at the 18th in the final round of the DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates, but I wouldn’t have taken that shot back as I’d still have gone at it.

Best club

Lob wedge. As soon as I get in a greenside bunker, I love getting out my lob wedge. To be fair, though, that varies from lob wedge to driver and putter. One of those three is normally on most weeks.

Worst club

Most recently, it was my rescue wood, but he’s an old trusty. Probably the worst club in the bag overall has been my 3-wood as I’ve never been able to get a 3-wood that I really like, but we are getting there.