Robert MacIntyre is well known as a really fiery competitor and sometimes his frustrations boil over, just like they did during day three of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.
MacIntyre definitely hasn’t been at his best during the first three rounds of the BMW PGA Championship this week, but he continued to battle away on Saturday at Wentworth.
With the Ryder Cup just around the corner, the 29-year-old Scot will be very keen to find his best form ahead of the showdown with the United States at Bethpage Black.
MacIntyre will be an important player for the European Ryder Cup team, and the sheer speed of his recent ascent in the game has been remarkable to witness.
In the here and now though, the Scot’s full attention will be on playing well at Wentworth.
The BMW PGA Championship has a lucrative purse with $1.53 million allocated for the winner.
However, the money will certainly not be on MacIntyre’s mind this week. He is so desperate to play well in order not only to win the golf tournament, but to give himself a big confidence boost heading into Bethpage as well.
And that’s why he has been so frustrated when things haven’t been going his way during the first three rounds in Surrey, England.
Robert MacIntyre criticized for ‘silly’ behaviour at the BMW PGA Championship
It’s common in the world of elite sport when professional athletes sometimes cross the line regarding what is considered respectful behaviour.
And MacIntyre was guilty of that at Wentworth on Saturday.
The Scot flared his tee shot out to the left on the sixth hole during his third round.
And 2002 Ryder Cup captain Sam Torrance, while commentating on Sky Sports in the UK, was critical of the two-time PGA Tour winner.
“He got away with one there.
“He made a bit of a mess on the tee. You almost have to see yourself on television doing something like that to see how silly it looks.
“Oh well, each to their own. He’s very fiery, a great competitor.“
After his show of petulance on the sixth tee, MacIntyre actually went on to birdie the hole, and Torrance quipped: “He can go back and repair the tee now.“
In fairness to MacIntyre, it wasn’t the worst of tantrums, especially when considering some of the poor behaviour that we’ve seen during big events this season.
However, he still has to realise that he has a responsibility to set an example for young aspiring golfers who watch him play.
Robert MacIntyre’s behaviour another example of a big problem which needs addressing
There have been numerous examples of players losing their cool out on the golf course this season.
Justin Rose acted very poorly during the Scottish Open in July when he smashed his club into his golf bag, nearly hitting his caddie in the process.
Then there was Shane Lowry’s poor behaviour at the US Open back in June.
Meanwhile, Cameron Young has fallen short of what is deemed to be acceptable behaviour on the golf course on numerous occasions, most recently at the Travelers Championship in June.
This isn’t exclusively a PGA Tour and DP World Tour problem, though. LIV Golf have the same issues.
Brooks Koepka set a truly atrocious example with his behaviour during LIV Dallas earlier this year.
There were many, many more examples throughout the year of that kind of behaviour as well.
Something has to change quickly before the issue that has been plaguing the professional game for a while now becomes so commonplace that it is accepted.
MacIntyre’s display of anger during the BMW PGA Championship was nowhere near as bad as some of the things we’ve seen this season.
However, he should be disappointed with himself nonetheless, as Sam Torrance alluded to.
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