Bob MacIntyre has insisted he will not change his ways after being handed an official warning by the R&A for breaching the Code of Conduct at The Open. The 29-year-old Scot slammed his driver into the 16th tee during the final round at Royal Birkdale, prompting tournament officials to issue a rebuke under their serious misconduct policy.
MacIntyre Unrepentant After Dressing Down
MacIntyre, who described himself last week as a kettle ready to erupt, confirmed the warning but remained defiant. "Yeah, yeah, but I expect to get a few of them in my career. I run hot. So be it," he said. When asked if it was simply part of his make-up, he added: "I'm going to do it for the rest of my career. I try and toe the line, but when you feel like you're playing a golf course that you can hit it pretty much anywhere and there's no real punishment and then you do hit one slightly off line and you get the biggest punishment you can possibly get, it's just a sore one. Again, I'm going to react aggressively at times. Part of my DNA."
MacIntyre becomes the second player at the 154th Championship to receive a Code of Conduct warning, following Jon Rahm who bounced a club down the 16th during Friday's second round.
Frustration Over Course Setup
The Oban native's anger stemmed from a weekend that saw him slide down the leaderboard after a strong start. He felt the course setup at Birkdale favoured longer hitters and lacked traditional links hazards. "I felt like I didn't have enough chances out there this week. It's not far away. Feels miles away right now, but I feel like it was just going to take one good day like Cam [Young] has done today and you're writing about it. But it just wasn't my week," he explained.
MacIntyre also criticised the removal of gorse bushes, saying: "Links golf needs gorse bushes. And I'm watching everyone now, the longer hitters, bomb driver down nine. There's one gorse bush down the left-hand side. ... It's like you go and take the gorse bushes out at Troon on that one right by the railway. That's what I feel is going to happen. That's the way I feel the new designers are going."
Previous Incidents and Future Plans
This is not the first time MacIntyre has clashed with tournament officials. He received a ticking-off for misbehaviour at The Masters earlier this year. Despite the warnings, he remains unapologetic about his fiery temperament. "If I got a two-shot penalty, it's my fault. A warning, it's my fault. I don't really worry about it," he said.
MacIntyre now plans to take three weeks off before returning for the FedEx Cup play-offs in Memphis. "Three weeks off. I need it. Yeah, I don't know if I'll touch a golf club in three weeks. I'll go and enjoy my time off, see where we come back in Memphis and, hopefully, we're in good form," he concluded.
