Robert MacIntyre's Masters antics fits his 'that's just me' mantra but may cost him

Robert MacIntyre shot 71 on Friday after opening with an 80. Grace Smith / Imagn Images Share full articleAUGUSTA, Ga. — The most famous moment of the 2026 Masters, thus far, was Robert MacIntyre staring at the 15th green and giving it the middle finger. That was the primary visual, but before that, audiences could hear him Thursday cursing up a storm on the 12th tee and the 13th green. They saw him slam clubs on 14 and 17 as well, just for good measure. But Friday, for the second consecutive day, MacIntyre sped past reporters. An Augusta National Golf Club member said MacIntyre declined to speak after a round of 71 that was nine shots better than Thursday but will still mean he misses the cut. It remains unclear if and how the decorum-obsessed club will reprimand him, and history says any punishment will remain private. According to a person familiar with PGA Tour sanctions, speaking on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly, MacIntyre could be subject to discipline by the tour due to a “conduct unbecoming” clause in tour regulations with a sliding scale for past history of punishment. Yet if you think you or Augusta National is going to receive an apology from MacIntyre, you are sorely mistaken. Instead, MacIntyre posted on social media Friday afternoon an AI-generated image of himself as a Masters gnome, giving the middle finger. This is who he is, and it is how he got here. He’s become perhaps the most steadily rising player in professional golf, going from a fringe DP World Tour player three years ago to the No. 8 player in the world before he turned 30. In a sport populated by privilege, the lefty is the son of a greenskeeper who couldn’t afford the travel to as many junior tour events as his peers and never became a hot prospect. The large chip on his shoulder propelled him to PGA Tour victories. Might be the first “Jesus F***” I’ve heard on a hot mic pic.twitter.com/fZx6To85PE — Perry "Chip" Maxwell (@ChipJohnson01) April 9, 2026 Speaking to his lifelong chronicler, Martin Dempster of The Scotsman newspaper, MacIntyre said Tuesday: “I know I am volatile and I know the bad language and stuff, but that’s just me.” He and his partner, Shannon, had their first child in January and still he joked: “Even having a little one myself and knowing there are little ones around, I’m not going to change.” Dempster and MacIntyre’s conversation stemmed from an incident last week at the Valero Texas Open when MacIntyre hit a poor shot and yelled, “That was f—ing s—.” A microphone caught it, and an announcer apologized on the broadcast. The Athletic tracked down MacIntyre’s father, Dougie, along the seventh fairway Friday. “Ay, he needs to tone it down,” Dougie said, motioning downward with his hands. “He’s all in his head right now.” While The Scotsman reported MacIntyre was reprimanded and reminded of the code of conduct Thursday afternoon, Dougie said he wasn’t aware of that yet. “But I bet they’ll be waiting for him!” he joked. MacIntyre comes from a place where people are praised for staying who they are. He grew up in the greenskeeper’s house by the 12th hole of Glencruitten Golf Club in Oban, Scotland, a small fishing town near the Western Isles. As a stranger walked into the Glencruitten clubhouse two years ago, the gentlemen settled around the tiny pub with fresh pints first wanted to talk about MacIntyre’s skills in shinty, a sport they described as “hockey without the rules.” MacIntyre, despite the risk of injuring himself, still suits up for Oban Celtic whenever he’s home. Aye, very good, they said, very good. Strong. Determined. Resourceful. “And hot-tempered!” shouted a man across the room. “You need that wee bit fire in you,” another said. “You need that fire in your belly.” Since MacIntyre joined the PGA Tour, that fire has been visible. As he battled Scottie Scheffler in a duel last August in the BMW Championship, he shushed the U.S.-centric crowd and put a hand to his ear after he sank a lengthy putt. That can cut both ways. In January, he missed a putt on the 17th hole of the Sony Open’s second round and subsequently snapped his putter. In turn, he missed a 3-foot putt on 18. “Big reminder for me that attitude has got to be right for 72 holes, not just 36,” he said Sunday after a top-five finish. “Because at the end of the day my attitude cost me this golf tournament, and I can’t be allowing that.” In his Tuesday interview with The Scotsman, he put it this way: “I am trying to do my best out on the golf course. I’m a sportsman and it is live sport. I’m going to react the way I want to react. I’m not going to change how I react because there is someone standing there or elsewhere.” That soul of a sportsman works both ways. As MacIntyre nearly stole the show with a late run in ugly conditions at the U.S. Open last year, he sat in the clubhouse waiting and hoping for a playoff. As J.J. Spaun ultimately hit a Hail Mary putt to take the title, MacIntyre raised his hands and slowly clapped in appreciation of the moment as he shouted, “Wow!” Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Brody Miller covers golf and the LSU Tigers for The Athletic. He came to The Athletic from the New Orleans Times-Picayune. A South Jersey native, Miller graduated from Indiana University before going on to stops at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Indianapolis Star, the Clarion Ledger and NOLA.com. Follow Brody on Twitter @BrodyAMiller