This is the man who still lives in Oban, a small harbor town on Scotland’s west coast. When he earned his PGA Tour card via the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai standings, he quickly decided the Florida lifestyle wasn’t for him. He just wanted to be at home with his girlfriend, Shannon, his parents, and his sister.
So it was little surprise that MacIntyre was not one of the players to be tempted by LIV Golf’s extortionate signing-on fees and huge guaranteed paydays.
In a wide-ranging interview with Golf Digest, the popular Scot was asked why he turned down the opportunity to join the breakaway league. He replied with a question of his own.
“How much does a human need?”
“The money was obscene,” he explained. “The more I sat back and thought [about it], I understand why certain guys went. Some timed it beautifully. Some guys I still think made crazy decisions. To each his own.”
It certainly hasn’t affected his relationships with any of his old DP World Tour pals – notably Tyrrell Hatton, who MacIntyre describes as “someone I could call right now and ask anything”.
He continued: “At the end of the day, the good people are still good people whether they went to LIV or stayed. There are guys on the PGA Tour I don’t particularly like, either. I’m not on any boards. I’m not getting involved. I’m just going to get the ball in the hole in as few shots as I can every week and go back to Scotland.”
While the 29-year-old acknowledges that “the money we’re playing for on the PGA Tour is still extraordinary”, the decision to not even entertain a move to LIV Golf was so much more than financial.
“I didn’t want to compromise my dream,” he said.
“My dream was to play Ryder Cups. I’ve done that. I’ve only got one dream left, and that’s winning a major. Once I do that, I could happily walk away the next day.
“If I’ve won one major, won the Scottish Open, won two Ryder Cups – from a golf standpoint, that’s a career you’d look back on and say he was a great golfer.”