Astonishing Bob MacIntyre moment of self awareness leaves golf's best commentator awestruck

MacIntyre has minerals says Tour mate and will deliver big-time at Ryder Cup
Brandel Chamblee reckons Bob MacIntyre's drone move was moment was the knew the Scottish star was set to join the elite.
The Oban hero has rocketed up the world standings and taken another huge step in is career after a brilliant runner-up finish at the US Open.
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MacIntyre was denied at the death at Oakmont when victor JJ Spaun holed a monster putt on the final green of the tournament to snatch the title. The Tartan star's response to the heartbreak was to applaud and that, in itself, brought him a new army of fans with Chamblee, an ex-Tour pro and now respected TV broadcaster, blown away at the levels of sporstmanship shown.
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But Chamblee has pointed back to an incident during MacIntyre's run towards a maiden PGA Tour win in Canada 12 months ago as the time when he could see for himself that the kid was destined for glory. MacIntyre took issue with an on-course drone buzzing above his head as he took shots in his final round and ordered its removal before going to lift the trophy.
On the performance and applause at Oakmont, Chamblee said: 'What a moment that was. What a phenomenal round of golf, almost good enough to win a US Open and to see him react that way. Look, the average Tour pro three putts more often from 32 feet than they make it, so your odds are more likely that you are going to three putt from 32 feet than you are going to make it. 64 feet is twice that. So Robert, you're sitting there, you're thinking: He's probably got a 10 per cent chance of three putting this, Maybe more. I've got a chance, I'm still in this. Then he makes it and his initial reaction is to applaud him. That's the height of sportsmanship right there. Can't say enough great things about Robert McIntyre.
'He got up on 17 and, not unlike JJ Spaun, and hit a fabulous tee shot. I think I heard him say, be right, or be the right club. And I thought, golly. And then he striped it on 18 as well, so I can't say enough nice things about him. I was a fan before. I'm a bigger fan now. I'll never watch him again without thinking about that [applauding] moment.'
Speaking on the Sky Sports golf podcast, Chamblee then gave his Canada recollection and added: 'There was a moment last year when he was contending in the Canadian Open, and he eventually won it, where I was so impressed with his ability in the moment because the drones were bothering him. You remember this? Look, drones are a thing and everybody likes them, I like them and they're great, but for him to have the clear-headedness to back away and say: I'm not hitting this shot until you move that drone, I thought that just spoke volumes about his belief. And look, it's a trend, i's so easy just to say, everybody's doing this, I'm going to look bad if I persist and say I'm not hitting this shot. No, he didn't. He didn't do it in a mean way at all, he moved the drone, and he hit it, and he went on to win. And then he won the Scottish Open. Those were great moments.
MacIntyre's fellow pro Matt Wallace also poured praise onto the Scot during the show and said: 'Yeah, he's got minerals. He's not afraid to win as we've seen. I think the win in Canada really gave him a belief. When you get that win amongst the crowd that you're against, you can go: Well, I've done it. I can win anywhere now. And so that was just another notch in his career that he's going to get into.
'He's a phenomenal, phenomenal ball-striker, underrated ball-striker, probably. Stats will show some things, but from a pure ball-striking perspective, he gets club on ball out of the middle very, very often. We've got the same putting coach. I know it's been part of his weakness where he's trying to improve on that a lot and the guy's ballsy. It's always nice to be able to do that in the moment and he wasn't shying away. He produced at the end.'
MacIntyre's display has rocketed him up the Ryder Cup points standings and he looks set to play for Europe against United States in September at Bethpage having made a winning debut in Rome. Wallace has a bold prediction on New York as regards the Scot as he said: 'Just on the Ryder Cup, I watched them in the last one with Rosie [Justin Rose] in Rome and Bobby was kind of a little bit shaky, which is obvious. Rosie really helped him along. Trust me, Bobby McIntyre will deliver at this Ryder Cup because he isn't afraid of anyone now.'

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The Herald Scotland

an hour ago

• The Herald Scotland

Watching someone from your part of the world thrive is deeply moving

A lad from Oban. A former shinty player. A Nike athlete now carving his name into golf's global conversation. It's the kind of story that sticks with you not just because of the golf, but because of what it represents. In a world of meticulously planned coaching academies, perfect-weather practice facilities, and high-performance pathways, here's a reminder that greatness can also come from gritty winter mornings in Argyll, from muddy shinty pitches, and from a love of sport that runs deep in the blood. For young Scottish players especially those still hacking around their local course or just starting to believe that sport might offer them something more Bob MacIntyre is the kind of beacon they need. We talk about representation a lot, but this is what it really looks like: a local lad making it all the way, not by being plucked from a golf school pipeline, but through sheer ability, determination, and love for the game. He makes it feel possible. And that sense of possibility is powerful. You can't fake the vicarious buzz of watching someone who sounds like you, who shares your sporting DNA, competing against the game's biggest names and coming out with his head held high. It plants a seed not of entitlement, but of belief. Now, don't get me wrong I'm under no illusion I'll ever swing it like Bob Mac. Even before two fractured ribs put me on the sidelines, my golf was more grit than grace. But watching him at the U.S. Open this week did something to me. It made me want to get the club back in my hand as soon as I can. I won't play like him, but that's not the point. The point is drive and his performance has given me plenty of that. When you're carrying injuries, or trying to rewire your body after major setbacks, motivation can waver. You lose a bit of rhythm, then maybe a bit of confidence, and before you know it the clubs start gathering dust. But then someone like Bob reminds you what it feels like that hunger to test yourself, to be part of something bigger than the scorecard. MacIntyre's background in shinty one of the toughest, most unforgiving sports going makes his rise even more impressive. There's a certain rawness to players who come through that route. It's not just the physicality, though that certainly helps. It's the mindset. The willingness to scrap, to graft, to find a way when conditions are against you. That's the Scottish sporting mentality at its best and golf, a game that can test your mental fortitude to the limits thrives seeing people like Bob almost win the US open. There's no question this moment is a huge boost for Scottish golf. We've had greats before, legends like Sandy Lyle and Colin Montgomerie, but it's been a while since a young Scot made this much noise on such a big stage. With so many distractions pulling at young athletes and with golf sometimes struggling to compete with flashier, faster-moving sports Bob's performance is a jolt of electricity. It reminds kids across Scotland that their story doesn't have to stay small. That their swing, honed on windy fairways or parkland courses battered by rain, can take them somewhere. It also reminds us those later to the game, those playing with physical limits, those just trying to keep going that there's still plenty of joy to be found in chasing the game. Even when you're not breaking 80. Even when your ribs are protesting. Even when your body doesn't quite do what it used to. I've played a handful of rounds in recent months, still finding my feet on the course, still learning what my body will tolerate. And though progress is slow, the game is slowly taking hold of me. Watching the U.S. Open with Bob Mac in the mix, wasn't just entertainment, it was fuel, and the reminder to be where your feet are. Not just for me, but for thousands of us across Scotland who've ever dared to imagine ourselves in the game. MacIntyre has made it real. He's turned potential into performance. He's shown that a wee lad from Oban can go toe-to-toe with the world's best and do it with humility, humour, and that quiet Highland resilience. For all the data and the swing speeds and the coaching gadgets that dominate the modern game, sometimes what you really need is a story like this, one that cuts through the noise and lands right in the gut. A reminder that the game is still ours, and the dream is still alive. So, thank you, Bob. You've done more than play well. You've reminded a nation and at least one sore-ribbed golfer watching from the sidelines just how far this game can take us.

Scotsman

an hour ago

• Scotsman

How Austin MacPhee became 'perfect fit' for Portugal as Aston Villa coach claims Scottish first

Former Hearts and Scotland coach helps Ronaldo and co to Nations League title Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... When news emerged that former Scotland set-piece coach Austin MacPhee had been recruited by Portugal following an international sabbatical due to his father's ill health, the initial reaction was to wonder whether he had signed up for the easiest job in the world – or should that be least enviable? Showing Ronaldo how to take free kicks? You're having a laugh, surely? Now, having spoken with the man in question in the aftermath of Portugal's Nations League triumph nearly a fortnight ago, the first thing to point out is that MacPhee is not solely a set-piece coach, although this is now his specialist subject. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He is 'assistant head coach' to Roberto Martinez, a title he shares with Ricardo Carvalho in a three-pronged frontline coaching staff. The perhaps unlikely trio have produced almost instant results while at the same time earning some 'historia' for Portugal for good measure. They are the first country to win the Nations League twice, something the tee shirts Ronaldo and co pulled over their heads after defeating Spain with a 100 per cent success rate in the penalty shootout two Sundays ago referenced. 'Campeoes Faz Historia' read the slogan on their chests - champions make history. Portugal players and coaches celebrate with the Nations League trophy after defeating Spain in the final. Pic: Portuguese Football Federation | Portuguese Football Federation Such an achievement isn't to be sniffed at of course. However, what really counts as true football heritage, as the kids like to say, is the status now claimed by MacPhee as the first Scottish male to win a senior international football tournament. Ever. Put that on a tee shirt, why don't you. It's unlikely MacPhee will do that although he did wear his medal at breakfast with his family one morning for a laugh and then forgot to take it off as he went out to take out the bins, to funny looks from the neighbours. 'It is very heavy,' he reports. It's good to know such details given Scotland are a million miles away from winning international tournaments that aren't played in Japan, sponsored by a Japanese beer and involve just three countries, including the mighty Bulgaria. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Simply qualifying for a World Cup for the first time in nearly 30 years will be the aim come this Autumn. Nothing is guaranteed in terms of Portugal, who are in a group with Republic of Ireland, Armenia and Hungary, but having beaten Germany – in Germany – and then Spain to claim the Nations League title, hopes are understandably high. Not simply to qualify. They have designs on winning the damn thing. 'Since I came into the camp for the Nations League it's been, 'Can we practice winning the World Cup?' says MacPhee. 'Right from my first conversation with Roberto Martinez it was about can we all contribute to trying to win the World Cup? That is what he said to the players: 'We have a week here (in Germany) to practice what it's like'. 'The trust you have in the depth of the Portuguese squad and the fact you have an icon in the world leading the team in the summer shows the kind of special generation that we have got and the absolute belief.' Cristiano Ronaldo and his Portugal teammates give their attention to assistant coach Austin MacPhee at the tactics board. Pic: Portuguese Football Federation | Portuguese Football Federation From Forfar failure to Ronaldo coach Ah yes, the 40-year-old phenomenon that is Ronaldo. A potentially tricky if talented customer, one might imagine. And yet he and MacPhee, who at 45 is nearer the veteran superstar's age than anyone else in the Portugal camp, appears to have already struck up a good rapport. The Scot by his own admission is a 'failed Forfar Athletic footballer', although does that even matter these days anymore? Martinez's own career was moderate. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad As for Ronaldo, there's an interesting piece of footage from the win over Spain, when the already substituted superstar is seen joining MacPhee on the edge of the technical area – recipe for disaster, perhaps? Memories stirred of the Euro 2016 final between Portugal and France, when some felt the injured Ronaldo had been disrespectful to Fernando Santos by being so animated on the sidelines, at one stage even standing in front of the head coach while issuing instructions to his teammates. In the case of his interaction with MacPhee, however, it seemed clear he was adhering to the chain of command. There was no sense of oneupmanship. 'He was just talking about the delivery, it was a free kick – whether Bruno (Fernandes) should shoot or Bruno should cross,' recalls MacPhee. 'There was no right answer in this particular situation.' MacPhee is already learning Spanish to help aid dialogue with his manager at Aston Villa, Unai Emery, so he might wait a while before downloading the teach yourself Portuguese app on Duolingo. He won't want to confuse things. Still, he has been witness to the force of Ronaldo's stirring dressing- room addresses, which, naturally, are delivered in Portuguese. 'You can see that when he speaks in the changing room after the game before the manager, it is very powerful,' he says. 'Also how he is in terms of respect for everyone. It's the little things. Everyone wears the same kit. Everyone sits down for dinner. No one stands up to get their dinner until everyone has sat down, including the kit man and bus driver, everyone. That has very much been driven by him and Roberto.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Austin MacPhee imparts some advice to Cristiano Ronaldo during a Portugal training session. Pic: Portuguese Football Federation | Portuguese Football Federation Scottish set piece influence MacPhee's influence can also already be traced. Eagle-eyed set-piece afficionados might have recognised an old routine in extra-time of the final against Spain, when both teams were striving for a winner while locked at 2-2. Neither side were able to find a goal but Portugal came close with a free-kick routine that Hearts and Northern Ireland have already employed to good effect when MacPhee was on the staff. For Fernandes, Vitinha and Nuno Mendes, read Sean Clare, Jake Mulraney and Steven Naismith, who combined to score the second goal for Hearts in a 2-1 win over Kilmarnock at Rugby Park in February 2019. The trick is successfully relaying a message to players of different skill - and perhaps intelligence - levels. The concept of space is the same in the Scottish lower tiers as it is on the highest rung of international football. Providing players can recognise this, MacPhee's own limited playing credentials are not a factor. "I go back to what I learned at St Mirren,' he says, with reference to his time coaching under Danny Lennon, who he also helped at Cowdenbeath. 'Every player only asks themselves one question, 'Can this person help me?' Of course, you have to be able to engage – set pieces is an area of football that is perceived as less entertaining. It is more enjoyable to play five v fives than it is to do set pieces. But sometimes an engaging physics teacher can make physics more fun. And a bad PE teacher can manage to make PE not very enjoyable, when it should be enjoyable. That's more or less my philosophy.' Fast forward to many of the world's finest footballers frolicking with MacPhee at the Allianz Arena as they celebrated Portugal's latest international crown. This was an altogether happier, not to say cathartic, experience for the Scot, who nearly a year earlier was in the dugout for Scotland's 5-1 humbling by Germany (Scotland's goal came from a set piece) in the opening game of Euro 2024, when Ryan Porteous was sent off just before half-time. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It helps when you keep eleven players on the field, as Portugal did. It also helps when four members of their squad had won the Champions League with Paris-Saint Germain the week before, which highlights the company MacPhee is now keeping. Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez. Cr: SNS Group. | SNS Group How Martinez found his 'perfect fit' While the Fifer has now earned the right to be considered among the best in the world at what he does, circumstances do often play a part. Thomas Tuchel's appointment as England manager started a chain reaction that saw MacPhee approached by Martinez. Anthony Barry, who worked with Martinez at both Belgium and Portugal, was poached by Tuchel, with their relationship dating to Chelsea days. Martinez was now a coach short. It didn't seem impossible that Martinez and MacPhee might already know each other – the Portugal manager enjoyed a brief spell at Motherwell, after all, and is married to a Scot, Beth. It turns out they didn't, which seems novel in a world where positions are often offered on the basis of pre-existing relationships. Of course, Martinez was aware of MacPhee, who has overseen set pieces at Villa for four years, but his name emerged following 'an open search', which is how the Portugal manager himself described it to The Scotsman. 'We highlighted from a very technical point which areas we wanted the new staff member to focus on,' he explained via text message as he flew to the United States, where he is a member of Fifa's technical study group at the Club World Cup. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We used AI to find the best performing team in Europe in those technical areas - and the answer was Aston Villa,' he added. The league tables spell this out. Villa currently have the best record in the Premier League for defending corners: they concede just one every 97 on average when the world average is one every 29. They lead the way in Europe's top five leagues in the past two seasons for goals scored from set-pieces, with 45. Martinez explained that they then started to find out more about MacPhee's career and 'his human quality'. Very quickly, he added, 'he became our perfect fit'. Some further investigation uncovered the fact that the only goal Portugal had conceded from a set play in their Nations League campaign last year had come against Scotland, when MacPhee was still involved. 'It made sense very quickly,' writes Martinez. He was appointed in February, before a 5-3 aggregate win over Denmark in the Nations League semi-final. Aston Villa set-piece specialist Austin MacPhee joined Roberto Martinez's backroom team with Portugal in February. (Photo by Nick Potts/PA Wire) Written in the stars Paramount above all this in the process was an improvement in MacPhee's father's health, which meant taking on further responsibilities became possible. Concerns regarding his dad's cancer diagnosis had led to him stepping away from Scotland in September. 'He has a letter saying he should be dead in November,' says MacPhee. 'He is now very much alive, swimming up and down the pool in the Fairmont (outside St Andrews) and playing golf and going to the pub and following Dunfermline – telling me about the poker champion who has bought Dunfermline.' Understandably, Villa were very keen for MacPhee to broaden his horizons and make some new, talented connections in the process. As he puts it, 'you have a relationship with some of the best players in the world who you might want one day to sign'. There could be no downsides. It also seemed written in the stars. When he was offered the post, MacPhee's son Dino, who was once on the books at both Hibs and Hearts, had just accepted a place at the University of Lisbon, where he will start studying business and entrepreneurship in the coming academic year. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad MacPhee couldn't say yes to Martinez quickly enough. It helped knowing that the majority of the Portuguese squad, including Ronaldo while in his second spell at Manchester United, had already felt the impact of Villa's set-piece proficiency, as have many of Portugal's England-based players. It's hard not to be slightly wowed by MacPhee's trajectory. Eleven years ago he had just joined up with Northern Ireland, having met Michael O'Neill at an Aberdeen game. He wasn't yet known as a set-piece coach per se but when 11 of the 16 goals Northern Ireland scored en route to qualifying for Euro 2016 were from set-pieces, it was clear something was changing in football. Now those such as Bernardo Silva are eager to reply to messages about MacPhee's influence. On the day he was named among the substitutes as Manchester City opened their Club World Cup campaign with a 2-0 win over Moroccan side Wydad AC, Silva responded by text to a request for some information on how the players have enjoyed working with MacPhee. 'As you know, set pieces play a major part in football nowadays,' he replied before taking his place on the bench. 'We are creating a lot of problems for our rivals since he joined, so honestly it has been a pleasure for all of us'. He added that the 'message and ideas are very clear - simple but at the same time very effective'. He referenced a photo that circulated on social media showing Silva pulling pints next to MacPhee following the Nations League victory. 'The one thing to say,' he added with a laughing emoji, 'is that he's not very good at pulling pints – I am better!' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Former Scotland set piece coach Austin MacPhee with captain Andy Robertson during the match against Switzerland at Euro 2024. (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group) | SNS Group / SFA Switching from Scotland MacPhee, who played football in Romania, Japan and the United States, is not finding it strange switching from Scotland, where his heart clearly lies as a former Tartan Army member who travelled to support the team at France 98 in a Renault 5. 'I have been seven years with Northern Ireland as well,' he says. 'I think you become connected with a group of people with a common identity and a common goal. Of course, it is different. I am not Portuguese. But I think you can care more but you don't necessarily try any harder is the best way I can describe it. "I tried as hard as I could for Northern Ireland, I tried my best. I tried to do the same with Scotland. In the big moments there is slightly more euphoria and in the bad times there is slightly more hurt, probably, because you are thinking of all your family and friends from Scotland, there is an extra thing. It's slightly different. 'One of my dreams as a wee boy was to go to a World Cup,' he continues. 'I have never done that. I've experienced the Champions League, the Conference League, the Euros. This season we are playing in the Europa League. I've done the Nations League, worked abroad. The World Cup is the missing experience, the one I've not had.'

Daily Mirror

an hour ago

• Daily Mirror

Scott Scheffler Sr. replied to fan who demanded he 'move out the way' perfectly

Scottie Scheffler is aiming to defend his Travelers Championship title this weekend and his father, Scott, will be in attendance to offer his support in Connecticut As the Travelers Championship draws to a close this weekend, all eyes are on Scottie Scheffler as he aims to be the first in more than two decades to retain his title. And he's likely to have dad Scott by his side in Cromwell, Connecticut, as he chases yet another historic victory. Scheffler Sr. was right there cheering when his son triumphed over Tom Kim in last year's dramatic play-off at TPC River Highlands. The pair were locked at 22 under par before Scheffler Jr. clinched the crown with a par on the first play-off hole. ‌ However, amid the celebrations, a commotion involving Scheffler Sr. caught the attention of golf fans. But his dignified reaction to a confrontation with a disgruntled spectator revealed a possible source of his son's grace under pressure. ‌ Positioned between a grandstand and a ShotLink tower to catch a glimpse of the final green, Scheffler Sr. unsurprisingly found himself in a spot coveted by fellow spectators. But a PGA Tour report (via The Mirror US) depicted the class of the man Scottie takes his cues from. That's when the ex-carpenter realised he was blocking the view for some. And it culminated in one fan frustratingly calling out Scott: "Hey, move out of the way!" In regards to what happened next, Scott's response defied expectations. Where many a sportsperson's parent might stand their ground, Scheffler Sr's modesty shone through and reflected the the kind poise his son usually displays around the greens. "Scott waved his hand to apologise and kneeled down, blocking his view in the process," read the account. "He laughed and shrugged, realising then that he didn't need to see what would happen. "He has watched a similar scene play out more than a few times in recent months. Those fans hadn't. They deserved to see it. The sound would tell the story anyway." ‌ Indeed, the crowd's roar did indeed tell him all he needed to know as Scheffler, who finished T7 at the US Open on Sunday, clinched the victory. Kim was a close second but fell short against a player in the prime of his career. Scheffler's win earned him the top prize of £2.7million and marked his sixth victory of 2024 at the time. Consequently, he became the first player on the PGA Tour to win six events before July since Arnold Palmer achieved the same feat back in 1962. The Texan is accustomed to exuding class in every aspect of his game. He carries himself with sophistication, as was recently demonstrated at the PGA Championship. It was there he had to play with a back-up driver after his was declared unfit for play. Nonetheless, he still managed to secure another major title and didn't make a bit of fuss over the entire ordeal. Scheffler Sr. displayed the same sense of style and confidence in a moment where he could have reacted very differently. No fuss, and not a hint of petulance, the same stoic mentality that is quickly earning his son a place among the golfing greats.