20 Things You Didn't Know About Robert MacIntyre

Robert MacIntyre is a Scottish professional golfer who plays for both the PGA and DP World Tours. He has two wins on the European Tour and earned his PGA Tour card for the 2024 season after finishing in the top-10 of the season-ending DP World Tour standings. He made his Ryder Cup debut for Europe in 2023 at Marco Simone. 

Get to know MacIntyre a little bit better with these 20 facts…

1. Robert Duncan MacIntyre was born on 3 August 1996 in Oban, Scotland.

2. He had a successful amateur career in Scotland before going to the United States to attend McNeese State University in Louisiana. While at college, he was the South Conference freshman of the year and he led the team in scoring average.

3. He has a passion for shinty and played for his local club Oban Camanachd between the ages of 13 and 17.

4. In fact, MacIntyre attributes his golf success to the game of shinty. "The hand-eye coordination in my golf has come from my shinty," he said. "I've been hitting a shinty ball since I could walk. It was just instinctive and the majority of my golf game is like that. Tee to green you've got to hit it good, and shinty encourages the motion of a golf swing."

5. It was at the age of 16 or 17 that he decided to focus on golf full-time and pursue a career in the professional ranks.

6. In 2013, he became the first player to win the Scottish Youths Championship and Scottish Boys Open Stroke-Play Championship in the same year, before winning the Scottish Amateur two years later.

7. He shot 79 in his first round as a pro and then in the third round of the tournament he broke the course record. He missed out on a play-off by one stroke.

8. He has three professional wins, including two in the DP World Tour. His best finish at a Major was a T6 at the 2019 Open Championship.

9. At the 2019 Open Championship at Royal Portrush, he fell out with American Kyle Stanley after an errant shot hit a spectator which was the mother of MacIntyre's caddie at the time.

10. After finishing second at the British Masters in 2019, he bought his mum a new kitchen.

11. He represented Great Britain and Ireland at the 2017 Walker Cup and smashed PGA Tour star Cameron Champ 6&4 in one of the singles sessions.

12. He lives by Glencruitten Golf Club where his dad, Dougie, is the greenkeeper. “I live on the golf course with my parents, they’re still there,” he said. “It’s so relaxed, it’s actually too relaxed, but I wouldn’t move from there.

“It’s too comfortable in Oban, it’s just the lifestyle. It’s a great place to be brought up and live. For now, my heart’s set in Oban."

13. His mother and father are long-time foster parents. His cousins Oscar and Jacob MacIntyre are professional footballers.

14. He is dating Shannon Hartley as of 2023. Hartley supported MacIntyre in Italy during the 2023 Ryder Cup.

15. He has made over $2.4 million in his career. 

16. In 2023, he averaged 310.8 yards with his driver, finishing 27th on the DP World Tour.

17. He has a full bag of TaylorMade clubs in his equipment set-up. He is also sponsored by Nike and Titleist.

18. Growing up, fellow left-hander Phil Mickelson was his golfing idol.

19. After a strong 2023 season, Macintyre earned his PGA Tour card for 2024 after finishing in seventh in the season-long DP World Tour standings. 

20. After a few changes, MacIntyre currently has Englishman Mike Burrows on his bag. The pair joined forces in late 2023.

How far does Robert MacIntyre hit the ball?

MacIntyre averaged 310.8 yards off the tee in 2023, his best driving season in his DP World Tour career. However, he only managed a driving accuracy of 53 per cent, below the tour’s average of 58.

Robert MacIntyre career earnings

He has earned over $2.4 million over his career and has three professional wins. However, his biggest paycheck came in 2023 for a runner-up in the Genesis Scottish Open, where he lost by one stroke to Rory McIlroy.