Robert MacIntyre doesn’t want the Americans to forget what happened in Marco Simone.
The 27-year-old rookie from Scotland is making his first appearance at this week’s Valspar Championship at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course in Palm Harbor, Florida, but he has made his name known around the world for his performance on the DP World Tour and in the 2023 Ryder Cup.
Bobby Mac went 2-0-1 in Rome, helping the Europeans dispatch the Americans. And at the Valspar Championship, he’s not letting the Americans or fans in attendance forget.
At the Valspar, caddies get to pick what they want on their bibs. Instead of player names, they can put pretty much anything. MacIntyre and his caddie didn’t want anyone to forget the final score in Rome.
There’s something special brewing in La Quinta, California.
Thanks to a third-round 12-under 60 at La Quinta Country Club, amateur Nick Dunlap (27 under) holds the outright lead at the American Express. Dunlap made 10 birdies and an eagle on the par-5 6th (his 15th hole of the day). If he goes on to win Sunday, he’d be the first amateur to win on Tour since Phil Mickelson in 1991.
Sam Burns is alone in second at 24 under, and Justin Thomas is 23 under, solo third and four back.
While the college kid is tearing it up, there are several big names heading home a day early after missing the 54-hole cut.
It didnât take long at the Sony Open in Hawaii for news to spread among the Europeans in the field.
HONOLULU â It didnât take long at the Sony Open in Hawaii for news to spread among the Europeans in the field that DP World Tour chief executive Keith Pelley announced he was leaving the circuit after eight and a half years in the role to join Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, the parent company of the NHLâs Toronto Maple Leafs, the NBAâs Toronto Raptors, as well as the cityâs MLS and Canadian Football League franchises.
Pelley, who had been at the DP World Tour since 2015, came to golf from Rogers Media, where he oversaw its ownership of the Toronto Blue Jays. Since he never worked in the golf industry, Pelley brought a fresh perspective to the job and wasnât afraid to step beyond perceived boundaries and break free of some of the sport’s long-held traditions.
Music and pyrotechnics on the first tee? Did it. A 40-second shot clock to improve pace of play? He signed off on the Shot Clock Masters in Austria in 2018. He signed Rolex to underwrite a lucrative series of tournaments and sold title rights to the circuit.
He also allowed Saudi Arabia to get its tentacles into golf with the creation of the Saudi International. Ultimately, Pelley chose to partner with the PGA Tour through its strategic alliance. It is part of the framework agreement with the Saudi Arabia’s PIF but has taken a backseat in the negotiations to the PGA Tour. Guy Kinnings, the current deputy CEO and executive director – Ryder Cup, will become the European Tour groupâs new CEO effective April 2.
Here’s what several European prso had to say about his move.
A handful of events ranging from the PGA Tour to the LPGA featured in the Tournament of the Year discussion.
As the month of December winds down and January approaches, itâs time to look back on 2023 and reward some of the best moments the game of golf provided fans over the last year.
The discussion among the Golfweek staff for âTournament of the Yearâ was a rather lively one, so much so that our group of reporters and editors could not come to a consensus pick for the best week of the year.
This year in golf was a busy one off the course, but the players stepped up and provided some memorable events all season long. From major championships to team events to late comebacks and stellar pro debuts, here are Golfweekâs best Tournaments of the Year in 2023.
âRome wasnât built in a day. But it was conquered in three.â
That was one of many posts on the Ryder Cup Europe social media accounts to celebrate the teamâs 16½-11½ win over the United States in the 44th playing of the biennial bash, held this year at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club near Rome, Italy.
The team celebrations with the Cup in the hours and days that follow are always fun to see, and European captain Luke Donald foreshadowed what would be a fun night in his interview with Golf Channelâs Cara Banks just minutes after Europe secured the Cup.
“We always do it right in Europe, we do it right,” said Donald with a smile. “We’ll have a few drinks.”
Did they ever.
The chants started with âTwo more years!â for the captain and transitioned to cheers of âOle! Ole! Ole!â and songs of victory on the team bus. Check out the highlights from Team Europeâs epic Ryder Cup celebrations.
Set your alarms because you won’t want to miss these final matches.
Set your alarms, folks. You don’t want to miss these final 12 matches of the 2023 Ryder Cup.
European captain Luke Donald and American captain Zach Johnson announced their picks for the 12 Sunday singles matches and a handful are appointment television, no matter the time.
Team Europe holds a 10½-5½ lead after the first four sessions, but the momentum appears to have swung back toward the U.S. after the Americans claimed Saturday fourballs, 3-1. The Europeans need four points to win the Cup, while the U.S. needs at least 8½ to retain.
Check out who’s playing who in the final 12 singles matches of the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club.
After winning the Saturday afternoon fourballs 3-1, the U.S. trails 10 ½ to 5 ½ and will need to erase the largest deficit in Ryder Cup history if it is going to retain the Cup.
But we’re saying there’s a chance, especially after Patrick Cantlay birdied the final two holes, including a 30-foot birdie putt at 18, to flip his match.
“Hopefully have a ray of light and we can build on this session and try and pull off a big victory tomorrow,” Cantlay said.
Two years ago, the U.S. led 11-5 at Whistling Straits before cruising to a 19-9 victory. No team has rallied from more than a 10-6 deficit, but the U.S. only needs to reach 14 points to retain the Cup. In both 1999 and 2012, the winning side earned 8 ½ points in Sunday singles.
The U.S. showed some life winning the first two matches, but the Euros bounced back to win the third match and inch closer to extending the U.S. losing streak on European soil, which dates to 1993. It looked as if it would be a split of the session. That is until Cantlay’s heroics.
“Feels like we have momentum and we go kind of into the locker room laughing a little bit which just feels good,” Max Homa said.
MacIntyreâs golfing endeavors and accomplishments have certainly put Glencruitten on the map.
If you thought getting your hands on a ticket for the Ryder Cup in Rome was tricky, then try getting a seat inside the Glencruitten clubhouse when local hero Robert MacIntyre strides out for Team Europe at the Marco Simone course.
âIt seats about 80 in the lounge but weâre probably expecting about 200,â said the club secretary, John Tannahill, as he envisaged the kind of jam-packed, boisterous fervor you used to get when the Colosseum was going like a fair back in the day. The good folks of Oban may not be decked out in togas and tunics, but you get the idea.
Glencruitten sits along the western coast of Scotland, about 100 miles northwest of Glasgow. MacIntyre grew up in the nearby city of Oban and has played at the club since he was young.
Bobâs Italian Job has gripped the town.
âThe place is buzzing,â added Tannahill. âWhen you drive out along the esplanade, there are big banners with âgood luck, Bob,â Itâs great.â
MacIntyreâs golfing endeavors and accomplishments have certainly put Glencruitten on the map. âItâs amazing to think of its profile now and there has certainly been an upturn in American visitors coming off the cruise ships,â noted Tannahill. âMaybe itâs the Bob effect?â
The idea of Elmer and Beatrice from Wyoming enjoying a bucket list 18 holes having been intrigued by Jim Nantzâs attempt to utter “Glencruitten” during the Masters coverage is a delightful notion.
The second hole at Glencruitten Golf Club. (Photo courtesy Glencruitten Golf Club)
A homely, down-to-earth club, the kind that Scotland does so well, Glencruitten hasnât changed. MacIntyre, despite his fame and fortune, hasnât either.
âEverybody knows him and his family are steeped in the club,â said Tannahill, who became a member in 1980, a couple of years before MacIntyreâs dad, Dougie, started as an assistant greenkeeper. âI used to go on golf holidays with his grandfather too. There is a group of older members here who come and have coffee and a bacon roll and go out for five or six holes. Theyâre up at the club for a blether really. Bob, wherever he has been in the golf world, will come in and the first place he goes to is them. He loves that.
âWeâre a small club, our fees are low and it can be a struggle at times, to be honest. Like a lot of clubs, weâve had a drop-off in juniors but itâs coming back. Bob has helped on that front. You couldnât ask for a more inspiring figure. We have the two shinty teams in Oban, the football and the rugby. All that takes place on a Saturday and that doesnât help the golf club. We have 350 members paying ÂŁ360 a year. It doesnât generate vast sums. But we have a great crowd of members. Thatâs the important thing.â
MacIntyreâs rise into the shimmering pantheon of a Ryder Cup player is another wonderful chapter in a fascinating sporting tale. Rather like the 3-wood approach for the ages to the last green of Julyâs Scottish Open, which took him to the cusp of glory only for pesky Rory McIlroy to conjure a world-class finale, his ascension remains a thing of wonder.
Robert MacIntyre tees off on the 14th hole during the final round of the 2023 Genesis Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club in the United Kingdom. (Photo: Octavio Passos/Getty Images)
âI was watching him sizing up that shot and was thinking, âGod, whatâs he going to do here?ââ reflected Tannahill of a shot and a result that effectively sealed his Ryder Cup berth. âBut in many ways, that illustrated his single-mindedness and his ability to do exactly what he wanted to do in the moment. Heâs not scared to make big decisions and he gets them right most of the time.
âI donât think anyone here wouldâve envisaged him at the Ryder Cup, though. Yes, it was the dream but could it be a reality? To be one of six to actually qualify and not rely on a pick? Well, thatâs unbelievable. His whole journey has been special. Every week, weâll look and wonder what heâs going to do next. Lots of golfers have the talent but they donât have that extra something that gets you to a different level.
âHis family had a tremendous competitive background through the shinty and Bob has that spirit too. The Ryder Cup will be right up his street. He thrives in the team environment. Iâd say the European team room will be a bit more tranquil than the shinty team bus.â
Whatever happens in Rome next weekend, Tannahill and the Glencruitten members will have a rare old time.
âThe bar is well stocked,â chuckled the 70-year-old of the various kegs, optics and bottles that will probably pour out the same volume of liquid that is in the Firth of Lorn. âI fancy Europe, I think theyâll do it,â he said. âAnd weâll just wait on Bob holing the winning putt.â
It could be edge-of-the-seat stuff. If you can get a seat, that is âŚ
One of the major subplots at this week’s BMW PGA Championship is how the Team Europe players are faring.
Earlier this month, U.S. captain Zach Johnson locked in his 12-player roster for the upcoming 2023 Ryder Cup, and European captain Luke Donald followed by doing the same.
After the conclusion of the 2023 Omega European Masters the six automatic qualifiers â three from a world points list and three from a European points list â for Team Europe that are bound for Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Italy were confirmed. Donald then made his six captainâs picks, including a pair of surprise rookies.
As we’re counting down the days until the biennial event in Italy, one of the major subplots at this week’s BMW PGA Championship in Surrey, England, is how the Team Europe players are faring.
Euro team captain Luke Donald is also competing at Wentworth, as are five of his six vice captains. Vice captain Nicolas Colsaerts is doing the best out of this group, as he’s tied for 38th. Vice captains Thomas Bjorn, Francesco Molinari and Edoard Molinari all missed the cut. Jose Maria Olazabal isn’t playing.
After the conclusion of the 2023 Omega European Masters the six automatic qualifiers â three from a world points list and three from a European points list â for Team Europe that are bound for Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Italy were confirmed. Donald then made his six captain’s picks, including a pair of surprise rookies.
Of the 12 players on the roster, four will make their debut in the biennial event against the Americans, who havenât won on foreign soil since 1993.
Get to know all 12 players and the captains who will represent Team Europe in the 44th playing of the Ryder Cup.
