Bob MacIntyre tells Rory McIlroy 'I'll only forgive you if I win the Scottish Open' for inflicting Renaissance heartbreak

Bob MacIntyre is quitting his American home and admits he’ll only forgive Rory McIlroy once he wins a Scottish Open.

The Oban star says he’ll give up his Florida base at the end of next month and will commute from Scotland for future PGA Tour events. MacIntyre headed for Orlando after earning a place on the circuit Stateside, but has altered plan and will now end the lease. He said: “My rent is up about the end of August and I don’t think I’ll be getting it renewed, to be honest. Scotland is my home. Isleworth (in Florida) will always be a place I go and practice in the wintertime, but there’s nothing like home, Scotland. This is where I want to be. I’m still going to play over there. I’ll maybe take a house for maybe a month, two months when I’m there.

“Winter in Scotland is not the prettiest, so if I want to compete against the best in the world that are practising in good conditions, good weather, yes, I’ve got the opportunity to do that. The lifestyle is completely different to back here in Scotland and it was a struggle.

“Hawaii is the first event of the season. Starts January 2nd. I am preparing as good as I can in Oban from December to January. So there’s going to be a time where you have to go maybe a month there, which is probably fine. It’s not a big thing. The only thing I’m changing is I’m not going to be paying a lot of rent.”

MacIntyre is back at Renaissance aiming to go one better than 12 months ago when agonisingly beaten by his buddy McIlroy. The Northern Irishman had a plaque laid on the 18th fairway for his approach to the 72nd hole of the tournament, but the Scot got only pain and quipped: “I don’t think I’ll ever forgive him if I don’t win a Scottish Open!

“I’ve never even seen the plaque. It was an incredible golf shot he hit. That was a winning shot, really. He thought he had missed the putt and, obviously, it kept going and went straight in. It was a bit heartbreaking. At some point during the (Ryder Cup) party, I'd not spoken to him at all about it since the day it happened and I always wanted to ask him about the putt. It just shows you. It doesn’t have to be perfect for it to work out.”

MacIntyre and McIlroy will play the first two days together and, while he was nervous paired with him in 2019, he’s at home amongst the elite now. The Scot's build-up has been calm and included an invite into the Royal Box at Wimbledon on Monday. MacIntyre explained: “At first, I wasn’t going to go, but when I thought about it, I was like: This is potentially a once-in-a-lifetime experience. And it was incredible.

“I didn’t know who certain people were until someone told me, but seeing the level of athleticism in the tennis game, I knew it was fast, but I was literally front row, watching the men and women run about. I think I picked the right sport! This is probably the most calm I’ve been. It’s not been as frantic. Things have been under control.

“My game has been up-and-down, but it’s been up-and-down my whole golfing life. This is the one that, as a Scot, I really want. But there’s so much that goes into actually winning.

“Last year, I came really close, but there may not be another opportunity like that in my career. I’ve just got to give it my absolute best, which I will do.”