Bob MacIntyre’s Father’s Pep Talk Ignites Lead at RBC Canadian Open

Bob MacIntyre credits his father’s motivational pep talk for a stellar back-nine performance that catapulted him into a four-shot lead at the RBC Canadian Open.**

Scotland’s Bob MacIntyre, 27, attributed his impressive surge on the third day of the RBC Canadian Open to an inspiring pep talk from his father and temporary caddie, Dougie. Despite a shaky front nine, where he carded a 1-over 36, MacIntyre turned things around dramatically on the back nine, finishing with a 30, highlighted by a remarkable stretch from holes 14 to 17, played in 5-under par.

After a chip-in birdie on the 7th hole was followed by back-to-back bogeys on the 8th and 9th, MacIntyre admitted that his father “had a wee go” at him as they headed to the 10th tee. This pep talk appeared to have an immediate effect, as MacIntyre birdied the 10th hole. Although he bogeyed the 13th, he rebounded with three consecutive birdies from the 14th to 16th and capped his round with a 30-foot eagle putt on the par-5 17th.

MacIntyre’s impressive round of 66, his second consecutive of the tournament, moved him to 14-under par, securing a four-shot lead over Ben Griffin, Ryan Fox, and local favorite Mackenzie Hughes. England’s Tommy Fleetwood, seeking his first PGA Tour title, is five shots back, while Rory McIlroy is seven shots off the pace at 7-under par.

Currently in a transitional phase and without a permanent caddie, MacIntyre called on his father Dougie for support. Despite Dougie feeling “a bit out of his depth,” he stepped up after receiving an emergency call last weekend, marking the first time he has caddied for his son since 2018.

Reflecting on his father’s influence, MacIntyre said:

“Yeah, he was having a wee go at me when I was walking from the 10th tee down to the fairway. Look, he was a sporting guy, he knows how to win, knows how to lose, he’s been through it all. He could see my head going a little bit and he’s like, what have you been working on for the last eight weeks, 10 weeks, whatever I’ve been doing, when I realized what was the problem. I kind of flipped into that mode and tried to find the positive in everything.”

MacIntyre also highlighted the turning point at the 11th hole:

“I think 11 was a big turning point, where I hit a nice drive, ball’s in a seeded divot on the fairway, but instead of moaning and mumping and moaning about it, I was like, you know what, this seeded divot allowed me to hit a 6-iron, a cutty 6, and I’m going, if that wasn’t in a seeded divot I wasn’t going to hit that shot. So I tried to flip the negatives into positives. Yeah, just started to find momentum. I holed a putt, holed a long putt, and then it just, when it gets rolling it’s nice.”

MacIntyre, who has already secured two victories on the DP World Tour, now aims for his maiden title on the PGA Tour as he heads into the final round at Hamilton Golf & Country Club.