MacIntyre could end season after Dunhill amid Middle East concerns
Robert MacIntyre said he may have played his final event of the season as he faces uncertainty over the situation in the Middle East after finishing tied for sixth at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews on Sunday.
The 30-year-old, who won the Alfred Dunhill title 12 months ago, will not play in this week's Spanish Open and currently has no plans to compete in India or South Korea before the DP World Tour's season-ending events in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in November. Fellow Ryder Cup player Matt Fitzpatrick has also expressed doubts about travelling to the region, while world number two Rory McIlroy has confirmed he intends to play in both events.
MacIntyre told BBC Scotland after his final round at the Dunhill Links: "This is potentially the end of my season right here. I feel like it's been a good year. It's been a learning curve, trying to manage life outside of golf and life on the golf course. It's been a great year. "I don't even know when the cut-off is. It'll probably be the week before it. I'll literally sit and wait and see what's going on in the Middle East. Then I'll make a decision. "If I'm in the tournament, I'm in the tournament. Then I'll make a decision."
On the subject of playing later in the year, MacIntyre said he could still go to the Bahamas in December but that would depend on his preparations for next season. He said: "Right now, before I was playing today, I'll probably play in the Bahamas in December, see how my work's been getting on. We'll make a decision on that at the end of the time. "It's going to be a quiet two-and-a-bit months, I think. "Try and lose a bit of weight. Get in the gym. Do a bit to the house. Hopefully build a simulator at the house. Life's good."
MacIntyre is currently world number 19 and his top-six finish at the Dunhill Links this week is cited in the report as evidence he is beginning to understand the demands of the Old Course. The article notes the Old Course has undergone a number of changes in recent years, including new bunkers and tees on some holes.
Speaking about St Andrews, MacIntyre said: "I love the town - I've always said that. We come here on family holidays. St Andrews is a special, special place. "The golf course was never my favourite, but it's starting to grow on me. A lot of people have said that, the more you play it, the more you start to enjoy it. "Obviously, the success has helped that. I'm starting to see things where I can push a little bit more up off the tee shots on certain holes or other holes. "So I'm starting to work it out."
Whatever decision he makes about the remainder of 2026, MacIntyre is due to return to St Andrews next summer when the Old Course hosts the 155th Open Championship.