Why Bob MacIntyre’s near miss at Oakmont could yet be the making of him as a major force in golf
When Bob MacIntyre finds the time to pause and reflect on his 2025 season, it would be easy for him to fixate on events at Oakmont back in June.
He probably wouldn’t be human if his mind didn’t stray occasionally and wonder what might have been on that fiendishly difficult final day in Pennsylvania.
For a period of about 30 minutes in the closing stages of the US Open, it looked like MacIntyre was about to break his duck and become a major champion. The stars were aligning.
The conditions were brutal. Others around him were faltering badly. MacIntyre refused to buckle and his round of 68 was without question one of the very best of his career given the circumstances.
But it just wasn’t quite enough. JJ Spaun broke his heart and denied him any chance of a play-off by holing a monster putt from over 60 feet on the final green.
MacIntyre had started the day seven shots off the lead. Eventually finishing two shots back from Spaun, his golf had been sensational, even though he had fallen just short.
Bob MacIntyre reacts in the Oakmont clubhouse after watching JJ Spaun hole out for victory
MacIntyre had recorded a stunning 68 in treacherous conditions to put himself in line for glory
American Spaun held firm to finish strongly and claim his own maiden major title
Yet, a few months down the line, and with the season now at an end, MacIntyre can surely look back on Oakmont as foundational rather than painful.
Major champions rarely arrive fully formed. The vast majority of players suffer a few near misses before they finally get it over the line.
They endure some heartache before finally clinching one of the game’s biggest prizes. In the fullness of time, MacIntyre will recognise this as a necessary experience.
Rory McIlroy blew a four-shot lead in the final round of The Masters in 2011. Mercifully, MacIntyre doesn’t know that kind of pain just yet and it can only be hoped he never will.
But only a couple of months after his Augusta meltdown, McIlroy won his first major after blowing away the field in the 2011 US Open at Congressional.
That would be one of the most high-profile examples of a player who bounced back to win a major after a near miss.
Rory McIlory bounced back from a Masters meltdown in 2011 to win the US Open months later
It doesn’t always happen as quickly as it did with McIlroy. Sometimes, players have to bank these experiences over a number of years.
But if they keep knocking on the door, as MacIntyre is now doing, eventually it will open. The 29-year-old Scot is now at the point where he is ready to bang the door down.
Speaking earlier this month, he said: ‘I’m a big believer that it’s about getting statistically better every year. Results take care of themselves.
‘It’s difficult to win anywhere in the world. But, if you can get better year on year, then that’s all you can do.
‘That’s all I’ve ever tried to do since I got to a certain level and realised that I could do something in this game.
‘How do we improve? Do you know what, it’s sometimes not about improving every part of the game.
‘Like, it’s just sustaining certain things. Keep things at a certain level. See the things that are potentially a weakness and just get a little bit better at that.
MacIntyre can look back fondly on a majestic year that included victory at the Dunhill Links
‘I honestly believe I can do anything I want in the game of golf.’
The second-placed finish at Oakmont is MacIntyre’s best result in a major to date. He has also claimed top-10 finishes in the US PGA and Open Championship. His best finish in the Masters is tied for 12th.
He can look back on 2025 not only with a huge amount of pride, but also confidence as he heads into next season.
This was the year he broke into the top 10 in the world rankings for the first time in his career. He won another title on home soil at the Dunhill Links Championship.
That came on the back of him being part of a victorious Ryder Cup team as the Europeans triumphed over America at Bethpage Black in New York.
That was, of course, the second time MacIntyre has helped Europe win the Ryder Cup after his maiden appearance in Rome two years ago.
He looked far more at ease with himself this time around and it was clear that captain Luke Donald viewed him as a big asset to the team both on and off the course.
The Oban-born left-hander was a massive part of Luke Donald’s victorious Ryder Cup team
Across his efforts on the DP World Tour and PGA Tour, MacIntyre’s total earnings for the season sit just north of $10million. Not a bad year’s work.
In 23 events on the PGA Tour, MacIntyre only missed two cuts — one in the Genesis Invitational and the other in The Masters.
He recorded six top-10 finishes, including the runner-up finish to Spaun in the US Open, and also had 11 top-25 finishes. By every possible metric, it’s been a good year for the man from Oban.
MacIntyre will start his 2026 campaign by heading to Hawaii for the Sony Open in mid-January before teeing up in the The American Express in California the following week. But it’s the majors which will now be the focus of his attention. That is the only box left to tick on his burgeoning CV.
There are no guarantees of anything. You only have to look at the likes of Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter in recent history to know that nobody has any god-given right to win a major, regardless of their talent.
With the best years of his career very much ahead of him, MacIntyre still has time on his side. If he continues on his current trajectory, he won’t just be knocking on the door. He will be waltzing through it with his first major silverware in his grasp.
