Swashbuckling Bob MacIntyre has been backed to deal with life adjustments and mount another stunning surge at the US Open. The Scottish star heads into the third major of the season having come agonisingly close to winning the event 12 months ago.
Near Miss at Oakmont
MacIntyre memorably finished runner-up at Oakmont having been denied by American star JJ Spaun in a thrilling final-day slugfest. The Oban ace has cemented his place amongst the game's elite with such displays and, as he added a second Ryder Cup victory onto his CV helping Europe to triumph at Bethpage last autumn and won the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship the following week, he rose to World No.5 at the beginning of this year.
Life Adjustments
Having begun the season in sparkling fashion with fourth-placed finishes at the Sony Open and Players Championship as well as a second in the Valero Texas Open, it's also been a period of adjustment for MacIntyre. The Ryder Cup hero became a new dad after the birth of son Findlay at the start of this year and Major results in 2026 have been far from inspiring leading into Long Island.
MacIntyre endured a disappointing week at The Masters where he missed the cut and showed his frustration on occasion at Augusta. He also failed to make the weekend at the USPGA Championship at Aronimink last month with the 29-year-old again unable to find his sparkling best.
McGinley's Backing
It's been a tricky spell, but Paul McGinley refuses to doubt the Tartan battler and believes he can roar back as he hunts Major glory. MacIntyre's displays on the opening three days of this week's RBC Canadian Open have hinted at a serious return to peak work. The Scot is contention to land the crown with a round to go in Toronto as he sits tied-11th at nine-under par and, assessing the Scot's US Open chances at Shinnecock, the 2014 winning Euro captain at Gleneagles said: "He's a dogged competitor. I think he's got a huge heart.
"There was a reason why he was played down the order in the last day of the singles in the Ryder Cup. We have a lot of belief in him. He loves the fight. I'm a huge admirer of his game. He's swashbuckling in terms of how he plays, he's a wonderful putter, he's won on links golf courses. Obviously, growing up in Scotland, he's very familiar with the kind of conditions we're going to face here [at Shinnecock]. Last year was terrific.
"I don't think he's got a golf issue going on at the moment, I think he's got life going on. As [Jack] Nicklaus used to say, life gets in the way and you got to deal with it. He's just had a baby a few months ago, just before the Masters. It's not derailed him, but it's an adjustment in your life. What happens off the course happens on it and I think he's going through that at the moment. It's a huge addition having your first child, in particular.
"Speaking from experience, when you get your second and third, it's not as huge a change as the first one is. So I think there's that kind of life situation going on in the background for Bob at the moment and he'll settle down, he'll figure that out and he'll come back again. But his form has not been what we would have expected the last two or three months and I think that's the reason why."
Chamblee's View
McGinley will be joined on the TV screens this week by Brandel Chamblee during the coverage of the US Open and echoed his colleague's sentiments regarding the Scottish No.1. He said: "Yeah, there's obviously ebb and flow to a career and it's just the nature of the game. You can't always be on heading into the four biggest major championships. That's the part that luck plays in winning a major championship. You've got to peak four times and it's hard to find out exactly how to do that.
"You got to be in the right frame of mind, you got to be physically right where you need to be, you have got to be technically right near where you need to be, and then you need a bit of luck. I mean, it's a rare instance that somebody wins a US Open along the way that doesn't have a bit of luck. Paul's done a great job of just sort of detailing the distractions off of the golf course. While scrambling is a huge part of who wins at Shinnecock, precision into the greens is the most important factor, so that you don't miss the greens and he's a little bit off in that regard. As Paul pointed out, he'll come back into form and it may well be the U.S. Open. You just never know about these things."
