Dream draw for Bob MacIntyre in 90th Masters after elevating status

The dream draw for MacIntyre, the sole Scot in the 91-man field, in just his fourth appearance in the Green Jacket event is recognition for his new elevated status in the game.

The Oban man finished runner-up in last year’s US Open at Oakmont before also producing a top-ten effort in The Open at Royal Portrush the following month.

He is heading into this week’s event as the world No 8, having finished fourth in The Players Championship and joint-second in the Valero Texas Open in his last two outings.

Both 29, MacIntyre and Scheffler played on opposite teams in the 2017 Walker Cup at Los Angeles Country Club.

They were paired together for the opening two rounds in last year’s Genesis Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club before then going head-to-head a few weeks later in the final round of the BMW Championship, one of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Play-Off events.

In a group that also includes recent Houston Open winner Gary Woodland, MacIntyre and Scheffler will tee off in the penultimate group in the first round on Thursday at 6.44pm before heading out in the second circuit on Friday at 3.19pm UK time.

Speaking before the tee times were announced, MacIntyre said he now feels comfortable playing with the likes of Scheffler, who won for the first time here in 2022 before repeating the feat two years later and now being the current Open champion.

“There’s no golf tournament in the world that I haven’t played in now or a playing partner I look at and go ‘I’m uncomfortable playing with him’,” he insisted. “It’s now just a case of going out to try and do your thing, execute the shots and try and win golf tournaments.”

MacIntyre finished fourth in The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass last month before sharing second spot in the Valero Texas Open on Sunday after holding a four-shot lead at the halfway stage in San Antonio.

“I played decent,” he reflected on that performance. “Yeah, I didn’t get over the line and there were a few mistakes, including not birdieing the second from the position I was in, bogeying 11 from the position I was in and not birdieing 14 from the position there. All that was disappointing, but I eagled 17 to give myself a chance.

“It is hard to win golf tournaments. I shot two under for the last round in tough conditions. J.J. Spaun’s score tied the lowest score of the day. You need little things like that to happen. He’d gone 2-2 at 16 and 17 before parring the last. Second place isn’t bad and I’m in good form coming into this week.”