The 27-year-old Scottish player, who recently opened up about struggling with the challenges of prolonged time away from home and friends, made the decision to have his father, Dougie, a part-time greenkeeper in Scotland, handle his bag this week. This move aimed to boost his morale as he found the tour life demanding, despite delivering commendable performances like an eighth place finish in the PGA Championship last month.

DAD ON THE BAG DOES THE TRICK

The choice to hand the bag to dad turned out to be a stroke of genius. MacIntyre Jnr delivered a championship-winning performance, finishing 16-under-par for a narrow victory over American Ben Griffin by a single shot.

With a five-shot lead and seven holes left, the relaxed advantage dwindled as competitors like Rory McIlroy closed in with a 64. However, MacIntyre, an undefeated newcomer from last year’s Ryder Cup, displayed remarkable mental fortitude to fend off challengers. The left-hander finished with a two-under 68, maintaining his lead at Hamilton Golf & Country Club and securing a $1.6m payday – the largest of his career.

“I had a hell of a fight in me,” he said. “I’ve been working really hard on the mental side of the game because once we picked apart my game of golf, we realised that my golf isn’t the problem, I’m the problem. I’ve worked hard at that with my team, and it has probably paid off over the last four or five weeks.”

When questioned about his plans for the generous reward, Macintyre expressed his intention to allocate a portion towards settling his parents’ mortgage. This gesture symbolizes his profound gratitude for their pivotal role in shaping his career path.

“I couldn’t play in golf tournaments as a junior because we couldn’t afford it,” MacIntyre reflected. “I think that made me. That makes me fight and never give up. My parents gave me the opportunity, but never was I spoon fed, I was always fighting for every bit of it.”

“Dad’s going to get a nice pay check out of it. I think I’ve got to get rid of some money just now for tax reasons, but he’ll do nicely out of it. He deserves it. My mum and dad will be mortgage-free now, and life’s looking a little bit better on that side of things for them.”

TEARS FLOWED ON THE 18TH

Both the player and the caddie were overcome with emotion as they stood on the 18th green, resulting in deeply moving post-match interviews.

“He was a caddie for the week, but at the end of the day, he’s my dad,” MacIntyre added. “He just wants me to do well because I’m his son, and there’s no angles to it, there’s nothing. The emotion at the end, it was just almost out of sheer disbelief that we did it with him on the bag. It just shows that I can compete at the top level. I always knew I could, but until you do it, you really don’t know.”

And a pep talk by his dad proved vital in his win, with MacIntyre revealing: “He was having a wee go at me when I was walking from the tenth 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.”

Securing the win secured MacIntyre a spot in the upcoming Memorial Tournament. However, he intends to forgo the event to revel in the victory with loved ones in Oban. Additionally, his triumph earned him a place in the US Open at Pinehurst the following week, commencing on June 13.